TREES IN PRIVATE GARDENS 167 



his notes written in 1681 regarding these grounds and 

 their plants are interesting. Some of the less common 

 trees are the Virgilia, Catalpa, Fulham Oak, Straw- 

 berry and Judas Trees, Flowering Ash, Honey Locust, 

 Deciduous Cypress, and by far the biggest Plane in 

 London, the stem of which at a yard up girthed 18 

 feet 8 inches when measured by the writer in 1918. 



Chelsea Physic Garden. This garden, which dates 

 from 1673, contains a rare collection of trees, including 

 large specimens of the Kcelreuteria paniculata, Mul- 

 berry, Catalpa bignonioides and C. Kampferi, Black 

 Walnut, Walnut-leaved Sumach, Maidenhair Tree 

 (two specimens), and one of the largest Yew trees in 

 London. Other uncommon species are Styrax offici- 

 nale, the Persimmon and Pomegranate. The Black 

 Walnut is a noble tree, the branches having a spread 

 of 60 feet, the well-rounded trunk, which rises 18 feet 

 without a branch, girthing 5 feet 9 inches at a yard from 

 ground- level. The Kcelreuteria has a branch spread 

 of 30 feet and a stem girth at 3 feet of 4 feet 10 inches. 

 Catalpa Kcempferi has a branch spread of 36 feet, the 

 stem being 15 inches in diameter. 



Gray's Inn Gardens. The history of the trees in 

 these famous gardens dates from a very early period, 

 as amongst the records of the Society in 1583 is a list 

 of the Elms, which are referred to as follows : ' In 

 the grene Courte xl Elms and in Walnut trees.' 

 The fact that in all ninety- one Elms and an Ash were 

 growing in these grounds proves that even at that 

 early date the list of trees was considerable. Bacon 

 took over the management of the garden in 1597, and 

 in the accounts of that year 7 15$. \d. was paid to 

 him * for planting of trees in the walkes.' In the 

 following year authority was granted to * supply more 



