1887-88.] Annual Increase in Girth of Trees. ^ol 



the Arboretum, measuring 11 feet in girth. It is past its 

 prime, having put on a scraggy appearance, aUhough the 

 foHage seems healthy enough. It grew at the rate of 0'32 

 through the decennial period, but owing to the extreme 

 roughness of its bark and its tendency to scale otf, the details 

 are not trustworthy. The other rejected tree is a young one 

 in the Botanic Garden measured in 1882, because it was the 

 most forsvard tree in the garden, its leaves being half ex- 

 panded on the 27th March. But this early effort cost it 

 dear ; the leaves were destroyed for the season by frost, many 

 twigs at the top of the tree died ; and in six years the girth- 

 increase only averaged 01 5. Of the two trees in the table, 

 No. 28 is a young one at the north end of the west shelter 

 belt of the garden, somewhat crowded by other trees, and 

 No. 7* is a fine old tree, nearlv 11 feet in "irth, standincj 

 quite clear of others in Craigiehall Park. Both of them 

 have always produced dense and healthy-looking foliage. 



The annual rate of increase has averaged only 0*40, a small 

 amount for a species which makes as fair a show as any other 

 in the Edinburgh district. 044 may be a fair average for 

 No. 7*, a tree 11 feet in girth; but 0"3o must surely be too 

 low for the healthy-looking and young No. 28. 



From the similarity in the history of the two trees, it 

 would seem that this species, after rallying from the first 

 period of depression and escaping the second, had been sub- 

 jected to some fresh e\'il influence, which, beginning in 1885, 

 produced a progi'essive deterioration till 1887. 



Bemaining Deciduous Species. 



As in the remaining deciduous species only one tree was 

 tested, I have put them in one table, arranging them in 

 the order of their vigour of growth. 



Castanea vesca. — This fine tree has grown at the rate of 

 nearly an inch a year. The annual variation was slight, 

 between I'lO and 0-75 ; the girth-increase was little affected 

 in the first two of the three bad seasons, and rallied in the 

 third ; its greatest depression was in 1887. 



Liriodeiulron tulipifera. — A fine handsome specimen, nearly 

 7 feet in girth. As Sir Robert took measurements of it in 

 November 1874, we find that at 4 feet 2 inches from tlie ground 



