44^ The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



Sargent' gives an illustration of a beautiful specimen in a garden near Boston 

 which, 35 years after planting, was 35 feet high and had a spread of nearly 60 feet. I 

 saw several in this district, but none so large as those which I have seen in England. 



Though it germinates quickly, and seems easy to raise from seed, the tree is 

 now seldom planted in England, but may be recommended for warm sheltered 

 situations in good soil in the south and east, though perhaps the damp climate of 

 the west does not suit it ; and as most of the trees mentioned by Loudon have 

 disappeared, it seems to be short-lived in this country. The seedlings which I have 

 raised from American seed are fairly hardy, and after the first two years grow better 

 than many American trees on my soil. 



This species was introduced into cultivation in England in 1812, by John Lyon, 

 a Scotsman who travelled in Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. 



Remarkable Trees 



The largest tree known to us is at Syon (Plate 124), which in 1904 was no less 

 than 60 feet in height by 7 feet in girth and still a fine tree, though its trunk is 

 decaying inside. There is another in Kew Gardens, near the Director's office, which 

 measures 35 feet high, with a bole of 3 feet girthing 5 feet 4 inches and dividing into 

 six main stems, which sub-divide into numerous upright branches. At the Knaphill 

 Nursery near Woking is a very well grown tree about 45 feet high and 8 feet in 

 girth, the head spreading to 16 yards in diameter. 



At Highclere there is a tree which measures 42 feet by 7 feet with a spread of 

 branches of 45 feet. Although there is some decay near the root the tree seems to 

 have become more vigorous recently. At Blenheim there is an old specimen, with a 

 stem divided close to the ground, and forming rather a large bush than a tree. 

 At Cornbury Park there is also a fair-sized tree. At Barton, Suffolk, a tree planted ^ 

 in 1832 was in 1904 25 feet high with a short bole, 5 feet 6 inches in girth, dividing 

 into three wide-spreading main branches. 



We have not seen any large enough to mention in Scotland or Ireland. 



Timber 



The wood, according to Sargent, is heavy, hard, strong, and close-grained, and 

 is susceptible of a fine polish. At one time it was used in Kentucky for making 

 gun-stocks ; but is too rare to have any commercial importance. It produces a 

 yellow dye. (H. J. E.) 



1 Garden and forest, i. p. 92. ^ Bunbury, Arboretum Notes, p. I. 



