77 



small black fruit, which is called "Mazzards," and the country 

 people bring these to market for sale. Selby and AVithering 

 say that the wild Cherry bears the name of " Grean Tree," but I 

 never heard this name applied myself. 



I cannot say much as to any old and remarkable Cherry Trees, 

 but in my " Malvern Botany" I have mentioned " a very large 

 and tall tree with drooping branches," on the edge of a 

 Avood at the bottom of Purlieu-lane. This was eight feet in cir- 

 cumference. Mrs. Hey, the author of "Sylvan Musings," 

 alludes to ' ' remains of aged Cherry Tresis still visible in some of 

 the old Abbey Gardens," but does not give their dimensions. 

 She also says, " There are some very fine specimens of the Wild 

 Cherry in the neighbourhood of our English lakes, especially 

 near Eydal Water ; one or two of which measure seven or eight 

 feet in circumference near the gi-ound, and rise to a proportion- 

 able height." I have not seen or read of any Cherry Tree that 

 equals the dimensions of the monster at Compton, which, there- 

 fore, deserves record. In the Cherry Orchards of Worcestershire 

 are some old nearly worn-out trees, but none of these exceed 

 eight feet in girth. 



Selby, in his " British Forest Trees," says, " To the specimens 

 mentioned by Loudon, the largest of which seem to average 

 about nine feet in circumference, we may add several trees at 

 Dunston Hill, near Newcastle-on-Tyne, the seat of Ealph Carr, 

 Esq., one of these growing uj)on the lawn measures seven feet 

 in circumference at two feet from the ground, and thi-ee others 

 in a small plantation, are respectively five feet six inches, five 

 feet three inches, and four feet eleven inches in circumfereace, 

 with a height of iipwards of fifty feet." Selby also states that 

 "the Grean, or Wild Cherry, frequently attains a height of from 

 60 to 70 feet in the course of fifty or sixty years, with a trunk of 

 proportionate size, and large enough for all general purposes ; 

 in this state its wood is of great value, being of a firm, strong 

 texture, red-coloiu'ed, close-grained, easily worked, and suscep- 

 tible of a fine polish." The smooth rind of the Cherry Tree is 

 said formerly to have supplied a tablet for lovers to make notes 



