lO TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Fraxinus americana. Same age and rather larger than the 

 common ash, but not so straight. Bommer sums up European 

 practice with the opinion that among all the American ashes 

 that have now been tried for many years in Europe, only 

 F. americana is really equal in all respects to F. excelsior. 



Fagus sylvatica van purpurea. At 32 years averages only 

 6 inches diameter by 30 feet high. But, says the forest guard, 

 two things have held these trees back — (i) the purple variety 

 grows rather more slowly than the other; (2) it has been planted 

 far too sparsely for beech. In any case the beech always grows 

 slowly at first. 



Fraxinus juglandifolia. Same age. Growth a good deal 

 inferior to the common ash. 



Fraxinus oregona. Same age and about two-thirds the growth 

 of the common ash [F. excelsior). 



Juglans nigra. The big tree near the old castle, still in full 

 vigour, measures 26 or 28 inches diameter with 30 feet bole 

 and 88 or 90 feet total height. This fine old tree is one of 

 the sights of the neighbourhood : age unknown. It is close to 

 the arboretum, which is the reason for my mentioning it here. 

 There are one or two similar great trees of Juglans nigra in the 

 Botanic Garden at Brussels. 



Arboretum at Tervueren. 



This, the second and smaller of the two arboretums in the 

 forest of Soigne, is, at the express wish of the late King of the 

 Belgians, arranged geographically. Thus the trees of the 

 Pacific slope are in one place, of N.E. America in another 

 place, of Japan in another place : and so on for all the trees in 

 the world that are climatically suited to the climate of 

 Brussels. The collection is not yet complete. More funds 

 are required both to complete it and to label it. It occupies 

 two sides of a valley, and consideration of landscape beauty 

 have entered into the grouping and arrangement of the trees. 



This arboretum is at some distance from Groenendaal, and 

 is reached by quite another route from Brussels. It has no 

 labels, so that the visitor cannot do much without a guide. On 

 this occasion, I had the good fortune to be accompanied by 

 M. C. Bommer, the maker and caretaker of the arboretum. 

 M. Bommer is the head of the Botanic Garden in Brussels, and 



