Mar. 1S95.] BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBUEGH. 387 



specimens of these species, as the girth of the reputed 

 premiers range only between 13 ft. 10 in. for the horse 

 chestnut and 12 ft. 9 in. for the oak. The Cassilis House 

 sycamore, 13 ft. 8 in. in girth, is indeed exceeded by one 

 at Stair, 14 ft. 6 in., and another at Loudon Castle, 14 ft. 

 2 in. ; but these are not great girths for the species, and 

 Mr. Paxton has preferred the slightly smaller Cassilis tree 

 for illustration, as it is a finer specimen. One does not 

 expect so much from the walnut as from the other larger 

 forest species in Scotland, but the Kirkmichael House 

 specimen, although a fine tree, witli a straight clean bole 

 about 20 feet high, is only 10 ft. 7 in. in girth at 5 feet, 

 and falls far short of several examples in other counties. 



Although, however, we must admit the deficiency among 

 these larger species, the county can boast of some of the 

 best Scottish examples of two of the smaller species. The 

 Old Auchendrane birch {Betula alha) is, indeed, inferior in 

 girth to the Xewton-Don tree, in Eoxburgh, with its 

 altogether exceptional measurement of 13 ft. 1 in. But 

 this is at the narrowest part of a very short stem, only 

 2i feet in length, and, as far as I have been able to ascer- 

 tain, the Ayrshire tree, 11 ft. 4 in. in girth at the base, 

 and 9 ft. 8 in. at 5 feet of a longer stem, is well entitled 

 to the second place among Scottish birches, particularly as 

 Mr. Paxton's photograph shows it to be a singularly hand- 

 some, well-clothed tree, lofty and wide-spreading, its height 

 being about 70 feet and the branch-spread about 55 feet, 

 as far as can be judged by comparison with the figures 

 introduced in the view. Nor is this the only fine birch in 

 the county, as Mr. Paxton has photographed a weeping 

 one at Eosemount, Ayr, with a stem 1 feet long before it 

 gives off a branch, and 8 ft. 1 in. in girth half way up, 

 also a very handsome tree. 



The holly {lleo: Aquifolium) at FuUarton House appears 

 also to be one of the finest Scottish examples of its kind. 

 It girths 12 ft. 6 in. at 5 feet up, but seems to be one of 

 those trees that are narrowest near the base, as some years 

 before Mr. Paxton measured it Mr. Landsborough made it 

 only 9 ft. 8 in., 1 foot from the ground. Taking the two 

 measurements tosiether, however, it is doubtful if there is a 

 larger stemmed holly in Scotland. 



