90 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



country, without kith or kin, their last hours must have been 

 pathetic in the extreme. But Lord and Lady Astor who 

 befriended them in life did not desert them in death. Hence 

 the once lovely Italian flower garden was requisitioned for a 

 burying-ground, and in it there lie sixteen soldiers and two 

 nurses. Slabs of stone on each grave record their names and 

 the units to which they belonged. 



The party were taken to a certain point on the estate where 

 an interesting section of Wellingto7iia was to be seen. It 

 was imported from British Columbia, and had a diameter of 

 15 ft. 4 ins. Two fine specimens of the tulip tree were seen here 

 and greatly admired. It was interesting to be told that Cliveden 

 was one of the two estates in England where mistletoe was 

 recently discovered on hazel. 



Mr Buchanan conveyed the thanks of the members to Lord 

 and Lady Astor for their kindness in opening their beautiful 

 policies to them, and to Mr Camm for his kindness in conducting 

 them to so many places of interest. Afterwards a start was made 

 for Dropmore. 



Dropmore, the seat of Mr J. B. Fortescue, is in the near 

 neighbourhood of Cliveden, and, consequently, was soon reached. 

 Mr F. Reid met the party at the principal entrance, and in the 

 name of Mr Fortescue extended a hearty welcome. A long 

 and most interesting ramble was enjoyed through the extensive 

 grounds ; while at various points we came across some rare 

 or handsome tree, or group of trees, which brought the leaders 

 of the party to a halt until the rear closed up. To many 

 these grounds proved the most interesting of the whole tour. 

 They contain a collection of specimen conifers, among which 

 are some of the largest and finest of their kind in Britain. It 

 would be impossible to mention in detail all the fine specimens 

 of coniferous trees that were inspected ; but a few of the most 

 notable were Pinus insignis, Abies amabilis, A. cephalonica, 

 A. concolor, A. Ptndrow, A. Pinsapo^ Picea Smithiana, Pinus 

 Benthajniana, P. Jefreyi, P. La?nbertiana, P. Pallasiana, 

 P. pyrenaica, and Sequoia sempervirens. The whole of 

 those trees were the picture of vigorous health, and up to 

 the present show no signs of early maturity. Returning 

 by the Azalea Walk, one could not help wishing that the 

 visit had been made a few weeks earlier, in order that those 

 beautiful flowering shrubs might have been seen at their best. 



