1 24 Notices of Gardefis a?id Country Seats. 



whicli was planted about 100 years ago, contains 261 acres j but a very great 

 portion has been planted within these last twenty-five years, and is in a very 

 thriving state. It is common, where extensive plantations have been made, 

 that they are neglected while young, and have not that attention paid to thin- 

 ning, &c., that they require ; but this is not the case at Scone : the young 

 plantations here are kept in a manner that does credit to the proprietor and 

 his gardeners. 



Methven Castle, the Seat of Robert Smythe, Esq., is situated five miles to 

 the westward of Perth, The house stands on elevated ground, richly wooded 

 on all sides. Its form is that of a square, with four circular towers, one at 

 each angle. To the right and left are appendages connected with it of recent 

 erection ; to the north-east, the wood of Methven is seen occupying the 

 high grounds and sloping banks : it is of considerable extent, and bounded 

 on the north by the river Almond, the banks of which are precipitous. This 

 wood consists chiefly of oak, with a mixture of birch, Scotch pine, hazel, 

 &c. The greater part is in coppice, with large trees from 60 ft. to 100 ft. 

 apart. The view to the south-east extends over a nearly level tract of country 

 to the high grounds north of Duplin, a distance of several miles. That part 

 of the plain adjacent to the castle consists chiefly of meadows and orna- 

 mental plantations : beyond this, all along the valley to the westward, and 

 the high grounds to the south, the country has a bare and bleak appearance. 

 South-west of the Castle is a small hill, crowned with plantation. The road 

 leading from Perth to CriefF passes along the valley between the Castle and 

 this hill. To the north-west, the grounds consist of undulated grass lands, 

 finely wooded. An approach-road leads from the west, and another from the 

 east, to the Castle. That from the west is about a quarter of a mile in length, 

 with a very neat lodge at the entrance ; that from the east may be a mile or 

 more in length, and is allowed to be one of the handsomest in Scotland. The 

 entrance is at the village of Almond Bank, soon after it passes a beautiful 

 small lake with sloping banks and clumps of plantation. From hence it 

 gradually ascends in a winding direction, passing through part of the old wood, 

 and onward to the Castle. 



The kitchen-garden is situated to the west of the Castle : its form is that of 

 a parallelogram. It contains about five acres, and is enclosed with a substan- 

 tial wall, lined with brick. The western part has a declivity towards the 

 south ; that of the eastern slopes towards the south-west, and is divided by a 

 brick wall from the former. The north wall of the western division is a hot- 

 wall, 400 ft. in length. No houses are as yet erected. Abundant crops of 

 culinary vegetables, apples, pears, plums, &c., are produced in this garden. A 

 shrubbery extends from the kitchen-garden to the Castle, where it joins a 

 neat flower-garden. 



There are some fine old trees upon the bank, immediately below the Castle ; 

 one of which, an oak, has a beautiful spreading top, which, in 1823, measured 

 90 ft. diameter, and covers an area of 707 yards. Its trunk measured 18^ ft. 

 circumference, and it has increased greatly in size within these thirty years. 

 One hundred merks were offered for this tree about 120 years ago. Adjacent 

 was a black poplar, under 60 years of age, that measured 10 ft. in circum- 

 ference at 5 ft. from the ground, and contained about 90 ft. of timber. The 

 woods upon this estate are very extensive, and are kept in good order ; an 

 excellent proof of which is, that they are found to yield a rent equal to the 

 best corn land. The plantations of Lyndoch join those of Methven on the 

 north, and form an extensive tract of wooded country. 



The soil of this estate is various, but the greater portion approaches to that 

 of a reddish-coloured clay : the extensive tract of low ground upon the south 

 of the estate consists chiefly of water-worn stones and gravel, with a slight 

 covering of decomposed gravel and vegetable matter. I am of opinion that 

 the river Erne once flowed along this track : there is a line of bogs and lakes 

 that have very much the appearance of the course of a river. 



