Quercus 1 245 



park, which grow fairly well on my soil, but like all American oaks, require good 

 nursery cultivation when young. 



Remarkable Trees 



The largest that we have seen in England is a tree at Pains Hill on the edge 

 of a belt near the kitchen garden, in light sandy soil. In 1908 this measured about 

 80 ft. high by 19 ft. in girth, with a short bole, and branches spreading over an area 

 38 yds. wide. Some self-sown seedlings were coming up near it. At Kew there 

 is a fine old tree 1 near the Pagoda, which in 1909 was about 75 ft. by 13^ ft. with a 

 bole 20 ft. high. This tree a few years ago was decaying, but its vigour has been 

 much increased by cutting out the dead branches, and top-dressing the roots with 

 good soil. 2 The tallest trees that I have measured are one at Oakly Park, Ludlow, 

 which in 1908 was about 100 ft. by 11^ ft., and one at Brockett Hall, Herts, which 

 in 1905 was 97 ft. by 8^ ft. At Cassiobury in the same county, Henry measured a 

 fine tree in 1904, 90 ft. by 14^ ft. with a clean bole about 20 ft. long. At Whitton 

 there is a tree, probably 150 years old, which in 1903 was 90 ft. by 7 ft. 10 in., with 

 a trunk 40 ft. high. 



In the midland counties the best specimens we have seen are at Coombe 

 Abbey, 85 ft. by 1 1 ft. 9 in. in 1908, and on the lawn at Kedleston, near Derby, a 

 well-shaped tree (Plate 314) measuring in 1909, 90 ft. by 11 ft. with a bole of 30 ft. 



In the south-western counties there are good-sized trees at Melbury and at 

 Endsleigh. At Pixton Park, Dulverton, the seat of the Dowager Countess of 

 Carnarvon, there are several fine tall trees in a wood called Puzzlecombe, the best of 

 which was, as nearly as I could estimate, about 100 ft. high, with a clean straight 

 trunk nearly 60 ft. high. 



In Wales the finest known to us is at Stackpole Court, which in 1906 was 

 about 90 ft. by 9^ ft. At Margam there is also a good-sized tree of this species. 

 Besides the above we have seen and measured red oaks in a great many other 

 places, many of which are known as scarlet oaks. 



In Scotland it has not been planted as generally as in England, but succeeds 

 well in those parts which have a warm summer. The best that I know of are at 

 Brahan Castle, Ross-shire, which was about 80 ft. by 7^ ft. in 1907; and at Murthly, 

 where there are several good trees, 70 to 80 ft. high, in the Birnam Drive. These 

 bore no acorns in 1906, and the forester told me that the leaves were much eaten 

 by the larva of Tortrix viridana, which I have noticed also in England. 



In Ireland it is comparatively scarce, the largest we have measured about 60 ft. 

 by 7 ft. 8 in. in 1909, being in the Lakeside Drive at Muckross, Killarney. A 

 specimen from a tree at Carton, Maynooth, measuring 50 ft. by 8 ft. 3 in. is preserved 

 in the Kew Herbarium. 



1 This tree bears a single branch, with leaves creamy-white in colour. Efforts to propagate this shoot were not successful. 



2 A similar instance of the regeneration of the American white oak is shown by Prof. Sargent in two illustrations of a 

 tree in the Arnold Arboretum, one taken before its treatment, the other twelve years afterwards, and the results are certainly 

 very striking. 



