Transactions of the Horticultural Society. 185 



to have been planted in 1670 and 1680, are in vigorous 

 health, and clipped and pruned once in every three years. 

 " The extent of the hedges altogether is 1120 feet, those 

 on the sides of the grass walk being 200 feet each ; the 

 eastern and western hedges of the garden nearest the house 

 are each 1 70 feet ; the eastern and western hedges of the 

 farthest garden are each 190 feet. Their breadth at the 

 bottom is 15 feet, which diminishes to 2 feet at the top. 

 The height varies from 25 to 28 feet, but appears from below 

 to be very even, notwithstanding the difference. They form 

 a beautiful and secure protection to the gardens, of which 

 that next the pleasure-grounds is planted with American and 

 evergreen shrubs, and the other with deciduous shrubs." 



At Moredun, near Edinburgh, is a holly hedge planted in 

 the beginning of the last century, by Sir James Stewart, Bart. 

 It is 378 feet long, 20 feet high, 9 feet wide at bottom, and 



4 feet wide at top. It is annually pruned and brought into 

 shape with hedge shears. 



At Hojpetoun House, near Queensberry, are some very fine 

 single holly trees ; the largest is 50 feet high, and has a clean 

 trunk of 20 feet, measuring, at three feet from the ground, 



5 feet 8 inches in circumference. Several are of equal height, 

 with trunks of from 1 to 20 feet long ; some are variegated, 

 but these are rather of smaller dimensions. 



At Gordon Castle, near Fochabers, in Banffshire, on an ex- 

 tensive bank facing the west, are a great number of hollies, 

 and also birches, geans, ashes, and alders, apparently of 

 spontaneous growth. " Few of the hollies stand single; 

 several appear to spring from the same root, as if they had 

 shot up from the stump after the original tree had been cut 

 down, and many grow very close together, forming jointly a 

 grand mass. The stumps of the former trees are in some in- 

 stances perceptible, and in others, the earth on the sloping 

 parts of the bank having fallen away from the roots, shows the 

 origin of the present growth to have been the original stock. 



" One group, where the bank is rather flat, consists of fifty- 

 five trees, growing in a spot not quite 134 feet in circumfe- 

 rence ; and the girth of these, at six feet from the ground, is 

 from 3 feet 6 inches to 18 inches. There are altogether 73 

 groups of holly trees, the trees forming which are in number 

 508; and of these 87 have trunks, free from branches, from 

 8 to 14 feet high, and are from 3 to 4^ feet in girth, at six feet 

 from the ground : four are larger, two girthing 5 feet 10 inches, 

 one 4 feet 10 inches, and one 4 feet 3 inches, at the above 

 height. At the southern extremity of the bank, where the 



