EARLY TREE-PLANTING IN SCOTLAND. 23 



been admitted here. Further details, similar to the above, need 

 not now be repeated, and it may suffice to say that by the end 

 of the seventeenth and beginning of the eighteenth century 

 tree-planting was being extensively tried in Scotland. The 

 movement extended from Lerwick (Shetland) in the north (but 

 with very few records from Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) to 

 Berwickshire and Galloway in the south, and from Buchan in 

 the east to Armadale (Skye) and Colonsay in the west, thus 

 covering the whole mainland and some of the islands. 



In almost all cases the account given of the work is a meagre 

 and bare statement of the fact, e.g. " some planting," " regular 

 planting," "well planted," "fine planting," "a deal of planting," 

 " abundance of planting," " vast planting," " prodigious planting," 

 "thickly planted," "little or no planting," "considerable 

 planting'' (17), and so on. Occasionally observations are made 

 which are of more interest. Thus at Lerwick (previous to 1683), 

 in addition to Apple and Cherry trees. Ashes and " Plains " 

 were in several gardens; Aboyne (about 1724), "planted with 

 firs fully grown, which is a great ornament and advantage to 

 the place"; Ruthvene (1683 to 1722), a " prettie oakwood"; 

 Carraldstoune (same period), "extraordinary much planting 

 . . . ane excellent avenue with ane rainge of great ash- 

 trees"; Finhaven (same period), "has some bushes of wood up 

 the water," but the historical Spanish Chestnut is not mentioned ; 

 Panmure (same period), " extraordinaire much planting, young 

 and old," showing that the beginning was some time back; 

 Urie (about 1722), "near a hundred thousand fir trees, thought 

 to be the most considerable planting of firs near the East sea 

 between the Murray Firth and Dover Castle," also Elms, Birch 

 and Willows are mentioned as planted at Urie, and " twenty-five 

 different sorts of barren trees"; Eden's Moor, Monimail (1723), 

 "some million of firrs all thriving wonderfully"; Duncrub, 

 Dunning (1723), "broad avenue planted on each side with 

 severall rows of ash and firr trees"; Muthill (about 1723), "large 

 firr parks, some whereof have trees grown to a considerable big- 

 ness, and others are but lately planted," also "beautifull avenues 

 going to severall airths"; the Kerses, Stirlingshire (1723), 

 " most of the gentlemen's houses look like little woods for the 

 number of planting"; the Tormuir (1723) is enclosed and 

 planted; Castle of Cardross, Port (1724), "great deal of old 

 beautiful planting"; Inchcallioch or Buchanan (1724), "very 



