2 26 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



preceded the death of the root, and so could be reasonably- 

 regarded as the cause of this death. He was unable to state 

 that he had seen any living portion of a root penetrated by the 

 fungi observed. 



Mr Cooke was followed by Prof. James Trail, of Aberdeen, 

 who thought that the appearance of the plantations might be 

 ascribed to natural causes. The soil seemed to him unsuitable, 

 he observed signs of insect attack, and, like the other observers, 

 he saw fungi on the roots. As to the fungi, he stated that he 

 found fungi " on and under " the roots, and, on microscopic 

 examination, found that some of the hyphae had penetrated the 

 roots. In cross-examination, Prof. Trail expressed a doubt 

 whether fungi round the roots of a tree, even if they did not 

 penetrate, could be described as inocuous. " If you find the 

 young tender roots surrounded by mycelia or filaments, these 

 roots cannot be doing their work." [We know now, of course, 

 that this is not the case.] " I do not see where the fungus 

 gets its nourishment, except from the roots, unless there be 

 decaying matter." This witness further expressed the opinion 

 that the fungi had penetrated before death, and that death had 

 been, at least in part, due to their action. Prof. Trail did not 

 however find evidence of any one sufficient natural cause which 

 could be said to have begun action at a definite date, and which 

 was capable of producing widespread injury. In the absence of 

 any such single sufficient cause, apart from the sulphurous fumes, 

 the mere occurrence of isolated cases of injury by insects, injury 

 by fungi (if this had occurred), and so on, can hardly be regarded 

 as sufficient to account for the proved facts. 



In the case as tried in the Second Division of the Court of 

 Session, Lord Young dissented from the finding of the Lord 

 Justice-Clerk, this dissent being, no doubt, a factor in the decision 

 come to by the Shotts Iron Company to carry the case to the 

 House of Lords. This dissent was, in part, ba.sed upon legal 

 points which do not affect us here, but is of interest to note 

 the opinions expressed by Lord Young in regard to the damaged 

 conifers. Lord Young stated that he considered that it had 

 been proved that, since 1877, the conifers of the Glencorse 

 estate had manifested symptoms of bad health. He considered, 

 further, that it was proved that, in some cases, this diseased 

 condition was due to the fumes of the burning bings. He 

 considered, however, that all the observed damage done was 



