EXCURSION TO DURRIS. 215 



31. The Aberdeen Branch. 



Excursion to Durris. 



The third excursion of the Aberdeen Branch of the Society took 

 place on Saturday, 29th June 1907, when, by the kind permission of 

 H. R. Baird, Esq., a visit was paid to his beautiful estate of Durris. 



The party were received on arrival by Mr Braid, the factor on 

 the estate, and Mr Crozier, head forester. They first passed 

 along the main road to inspect a number of young Douglas firs 

 planted in the form of a road-side belt among a sprinkling of old 

 trees, larches, Scots firs, etc. ; these demonstrated how well the 

 Douglas fir thrives under partial shade. 



Passing the old historic mansion, the company found its way to 

 the estate nursery, which, without question, is among the best laid 

 out and cultivated place of the kind to be met with on any private 

 estate. Here were to be seen large brakes of plants compris- 

 ing samples of all the imported trees which abound on the estate, 

 particularly Douglas fir, Menzies (Sitka) spruce, varieties of the 

 silver fir, Albert (Hemlock) spruce, etc. All these are from the 

 north-western parts of America, and have proved themselves to be 

 the trees best adapted to succeed in this country. These imported 

 species have now been so long on Durris, that nearly all the seed 

 used can be gathered off carefully selected trees on the estate. 



The party's next move was to visit the experiment with Menzies 

 spruce at Strathgyle. Strathgyle is a plantation of some 80 to 90 

 acres, planted twenty-nine years ago. The altitude is 900 feet, 

 and the exposure north-easterly. Here, on a peaty soil resting on 

 boulder clay, are to be seen Menzies (Sitka) spruces grouped alter- 

 nately with other spruces, Scots fir and larch. The Menzies spruce 

 is, however, at least three times bigger than its ally the Norway 

 spruce of the same age, while the Scots fir and larch are comparative 

 failures ; even a sprinkling of Douglas fir, planted by way of ex- 

 periment, seems to hold its own better than the two last named, 

 notwithstanding the altitude and exposure. 



Afterwards a business meeting of the Society was held, when, on the 

 motion of Mr Hart, Cowie Mains, Mr Braid was called to the chair. 



After the meeting the company broke up into groups and visited 

 many parts of the extensive pohcies, especially the den where are 

 to be found many of the fine old oaks and larches said to have 

 been planted during the Duke of Gordon's proprietorship. Some 

 of the larches measure over 100 feet high and from 8 to io|- feet 



