364 Yorkshire A'afiiralisfs at Bowes. 



Common Bistort, Snake-weed, Patience Dock, Pull Dock, 

 Easterledifes, etc., is another most useful and appetising^ 

 vegetable, a near relative to ' Good King" Harr}.' It was 

 noticed g'rowing" at Brig'nall Banks by Mr. Gibbs. It grows 

 abundantly in several places near Harrog"ate, and each spring- 

 my family and myself partake of it freely, and enjoy it. 



The meadows that remained uncut undulated in response to 

 the wind. Rough Hawkbit, with large golden discs, formed 

 a vivid contrast to the dark purple clubs of the Great Burnet. 

 Both these plants were abundant in the meadows g-enerally. 

 Great Burnet used to be cultivated extensively in most of 

 our Yorkshire dales as a fodder plant ; for some reason it has 

 fallen into disfavour with the farmer, but it still persists, and in 

 doing- so forms a curious yet beautiful object when growing in 

 quantity as it does at Bowes among-st our native grasses. We 

 missed from the meadows the upright Buttercup, Black-knap- 

 weed, and the silver and gold of the Great Ox-eye, or Moon- 

 penny, which are so abundant upon water-holding clayey 

 subsoils. One of the prettiest sights was a bed of Watercress 

 in full bloom. It was quite fifty yards long by three yards wide, 

 with a large pond at the upper end filled with the same plant, 

 and led by a copious spring of very clear water. It flows in 

 Hogarth's ' Line of Beauty.' The Cress quite filled the brook 

 and repeated its contour. So dense were the flowers that no 

 water could be seen, and the sight from the hillside a short 

 distance away was charming, but at the same time puzzling. 

 Close acquaintance revealed the identity of our well-known friend, 

 and an excellent photograph was obtained of it in all its glory. 

 Thousands of blooms of the Forget-Me-Not intermingled, 

 but so dense were the flowers of the Crucifer that these were 

 only observable at close quarters. 



Bowes and its neighbourhood is by no means thickly wooded, 

 yet in the village there are many fine specimens of the Sycamore 

 and the Ash, some of them of exceptional size, particularly so 

 when we remember the elevation. The number of species of our 

 native forest trees is limited, especially fine individual specimens. 

 I don't remember seeing anything like a respectable Oak. In 

 Sleightholme-dale is a very fine group of the Norwegian Spruce. 

 Mr. Gibbs, in his report to me sa} s. the Ash is the ' prevailing ' 

 tree, and I quite agree with him. 



My thanks are now given to all members present for their 

 courtesy in bringing specimens and recounting ' finds.' If any 

 or all of them can add to the list I shall be glad. During a stay 



