1 156 The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



Evelyn ' says : " Within a few years past, reputed so tender, and so nice a 

 plant, that it was cultivated with the greatest care, and to be found only among the 

 curious, whereas now we see it in every garden, rising to as goodly a bulk and 

 stature, as most which you shall see even in Italy itself; for such I remember to 

 have seen once in his late Majestie's gardens at Theobald's before that Princely seat 

 was demolished." 



Evelyn and Boutcher both give instructions for raising the cypress from seed in 

 the open ground, but the latter adds that as it is no uncommon thing for a hard 

 winter to destroy whole beds of them, it is better to sow some seeds in pots. 



I have always adopted the latter practice, and have raised many from seeds 

 gathered in Rome, not planting out the seedlings till they are two years old, when 

 they should be about a foot high. In good soil, if not exposed to severe frost, they 

 then make rapid growth, 2 and will be fit to plant out at four years old, though they 

 may be kept in the nursery longer, and successfully transplanted when 5 or 6 ft. 

 high. The seeds will keep good for a very long period ; and I have seen at Black- 

 moor, some trees which were raised from seed collected in the cemetery at Scutari by 

 the present Lord Selborne in 1884. These seeds were sent by him to his father, who 

 kept them in a drawer till 1895, when they were sown, and the young trees in April 

 1905 were from 10 to 15 ft. high. Though fruit is produced in most parts of 

 England the seed does not always ripen, and I should prefer Italian or French grown 

 seed. The tree should always be planted in well-drained soil, and in the warmest 

 and best-sheltered position that can be found, as it does not thrive and is liable to be 

 killed in severe winters in low-lying or damp situations. A great many trees of 

 considerable size were killed during the severe winters of 1860-61 and 1879-80-81 ; 

 almost all those in the north and in Scotland, of which Mr. Palmer obtained 

 particulars, having succumbed during the latter period, whilst many old ones in 

 warmer parts of England were injured. 



Remarkable Trees 



Among the finest cypresses that I have seen in England is one on the lawn at 

 Heron Court (Plate 293), which in 1906 I found to be 60 ft. high by 5 ft. in girth. 



At Enville Hall, Staffordshire, Henry measured one which in 1904 was 62 ft. 

 by 9 ft. 



In the garden at Langley Hall, Norwich, a tree raised from seed gathered in 

 the Garden of Gethsemane in 1870 by Sir R. Beauchamp was 32 ft. high in 1905. 



At Dropmore a tree is 42 ft. high by 5 ft. 9 in. at 3 ft. from the ground. 



At Killerton some trees planted near the church about 1841 are from 50 to 60 

 ft. in height by 4 to 5 ft. in girth. 



In the Palace gardens at Wells there is a very broad-topped tree in full vigour 

 about 48 ft. high. 



There is a remarkable old tree at Crowcombe Court, Somerset, of which one 



1 Sylva, 115 ('67). 



2 Kirchner, op. cit. 282, says that the growth on the Riviera of seedlings in the open is rather slow, averaging 12 to 16 

 in. high at six years old. 



