THE TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL EXCURSION. 183 
interesting and instructive one, and the party expressed them- 
selves as highly pleased with all they had seen, and with the 
good work which Mr Whitton is doing in Glasgow; and they 
also felt deeply grateful to him for the great amount of trouble 
he had taken in preparing and carrying through such an 
interesting programme. 
On Thursday, 6th July, the party visited Benmore, the fine 
property of Mr H. J. Younger. The route from Glasgow, 
which was left at 8.30 A.M., was by Gourock and Dunoon, and 
from the latter place the party was conveyed in brakes, by Loch 
Loskin and Glenmasson, to Benmore. On arrival at Benmore, 
the party was met by Mr Younger, Colonel Younger, Mr 
Cameron, factor on the estate, and other officials. After a 
short time spent in the well-stocked and well-kept nursery, the 
party repaired to the arboretum and policies, where specimens 
of coniferous and broad-leaved trees were found in great 
profusion, and in fine health. The newer Coniferz are not much 
more than thirty years old here, yet some of them have attained 
to considerable dimensions, a plant of Ades grandis about 70 
feet high and 7 feet in girth at breast-height being noted. Of 
those which were noted as being specially promising may be 
mentioned Zsuga Mertensiana (Albertiana), Abies Nordmanniana, 
A. nobilis, A. grandis, Thuya gigantea, and Sequoia gigantea. 
Many fine specimens of broad-leaved ornamental trees and rare 
shrubs were also observed, and the neat way in which everything 
was labelled was much appreciated. 
After the tour of the arboretum and policies was completed, 
the party made their way to the Cruach Douglas fir plantation, 
of which the following particulars have been kindly supplied by 
Mr J. M. Stewart, forester, Benmore :— 
This plantation was formed in the latter part of 1878 and 
beginning of 1879. It extends to about 1oo acres, of which about 
35 acres consist of pure Douglas fir, about 20 acres of a mixture 
of Douglas fir and Zhuya gigantea, with a sprinkling of Scots 
pine and common silver fir, while the remaining portion consists 
of a mixture of Douglas fir, larch, Scots pine, spruce, etc. 
The plantation is situated on the face of a steep, undulating, 
rocky hill, facing east by north, and varying in altitude 
from 54 feet to 777 feet above sea-level. Over the greater 
part of the hill the soil consists of a sandy peat. This soil 
rests on clay, slate, and quartz, and has a depth of from 4 to 
