in 1727, at Hqffleld, near Ledbury. 115 



hills, much esposed. The trees are fac-similes of the Scotch pines 

 in the forests of Braemar and Strathspey. The spruce firs are 

 all gone, except two trees, which are now in a sickly state ; 

 though one of them is 70 ft. high, and girts 7 ft. 2 in. at one 

 foot from the ground. The lime trees have been pollarded for 

 a length of time. The yews, which were planted about the same 

 time, are comparatively young trees : a fine upright one is 40 ft. 

 high, and 6 ft. 2 in. in girt, at one foot from the ground. If 

 yews were planted close together, or among close young planta- 

 tions, so as to " draw " them up, and if attention were paid to 

 keep down contending leaders, and to foreshorten the strongest 

 branches, I have no doubt they might be grown as straight and 

 as high as the larch. 



No traces of any vines are now to be seen on this bank ; but 

 a few plants, as late as 40 years ago, were growing on the ori- 

 ginal site, and there were some remains of the espaliers. The 

 white muscadine is supposed to have been the chief sort used, 

 as some very old plants of this variety are still to be found in 

 the neighbourhood, trained against houses, and bearing immense 

 crops every year. An old mulberry, in one corner of the vine- 

 yard, was blown down seme years since ; its larger boughs stuck 

 in the ground, and, having taken root there, they now support 

 the trunk, though all traces of the original roots are gone. This 

 tree produces a regular and good crop every year. 



The present house at Haffield (by Sir Robert Smirke) was 

 built in 1818 and 1819, and the grounds were planted from 

 1820 to 1823, chiefly with forest trees on dry shallow soil, which 

 was formerly under corn. It was thought of no use to trench 

 such soil, it being no where deeper than 9 inches, on a hard 

 red sandstone rock. The trees have, notwithstanding, made 

 rapid progress, and are very promising. They consist of larches, 

 Scotch pines, beech, and spruce and silver firs, with a few oaks 

 and chestnuts in the best soil. In a low part of the grounds, 

 there are a few acres of peat bog, similar to that of Chat Moss, in 

 Lancashire. This has been partly drained, and planted with alders, 

 ash trees, willows, abele trees, and black Italian poplars. The 

 latter surpass every thing I have ever seen in the growth of trees: 

 the abeles are fair specimens, but are beginning to look old 

 already ; and the ashes do not promise much better. The alders 

 are quite at home, although the black Italian poplars are double 

 their size and strength. I mean this winter to plant a salicetum 

 here ; and hope to make it complete, as upon the margin of this 

 bog I can find different soils, sandy loam, mixing with peat and 

 bog earth. I shall give the ground a deep digging, and shall then 

 plant potatoes for the first three years, which will effectually clean 

 it from weeds, without hurting the progress of the trees, notwith- 

 standing all that has been written to the contrary. Last spring, 



K 4 



