184 Yew-Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



growth, although it is sHghtly below the average 

 rate of growth in young trees. The diminished 

 rate of the last period is clearly due to the large 

 growth of root-stems within the trunk. 



A skill, Somersetshire. — In Collinson's History of 

 Somersetshire,^ it is stated that two very large 

 trees are found in the churchyard, one of which, 

 presumably the largest, was in 1791, '15 feet 

 round, with a vast spread of branches extending 

 north and south 66 feet. The other divides into 

 three large trunks just above the ground, but many 

 of the arms are decayed.' For the following 

 measurements, made in January 1895, I am in- 

 debted to the Rev. Charles Houghton : — 



A 17-9 in. B 14-7 in. 



Girth at ground 

 Girth at 3 feet 

 Length of bole 

 Length of longest bough 

 Height . 



20-0 „ „ i5'o „ 



28-6 „ „ 38-0 ,, 



37*o „ „ 43'o » 



Six years ago, says Mr. Houghton, ' they were 

 very fine trees, but a heavy snowstorm, followed 

 almost immediately by a very severe frost, broke 

 down the largest stem, and the trees are in con- 

 sequence much disfigured.' 



It appears that the larger of the two trees has 

 increased in girth 5 feet since 1791, or 20 inches 

 of diameter in 103 years, which is more rapid than 

 the growth of a young tree. 



^ Vol. i. p. 13. 



