530 Facts relating to the annual Increase 



24. Scotch Fir, front of cider-mill, planted with all that grove, 1767. As, 



also, No. 25. 



26. Silver Fir, near Shenstone's Urn. Very far from being the largest of 

 many planted 1773. 



27. Purple Beech, between the three Aphornousli pines. A most elegant 

 tree ; grafted very low, the stock out-growing the scion. It produces seeds 

 freely, from which plants are raised of every grade of colour, from the brightest 

 green, to red, scarlet, and the deepest purple. Planted 1792. 



28. /Mex, or evergreen Oak, front of the house. Inscribed to one of the 

 earliest friends of my infancy, Thomas Spring, a Scotchman, and many years 

 a gardener in England ; a man of powerful intellect, facetious humour, and 

 inflexible integrity. Perhaps this bright and amiable man first enkindled my 

 cordial esteem and admiration of the Scotch ; feelings that every year and 

 interview with them, or their matchless country, has confirmed. This tree is 

 girted at 4 ft. from the ground, as at 5 ft. it divaricates into seven arms ; is full 

 of vigour and beauty, enjoying light and room all around; though fast dimi- 

 nishing the light in my front rooms. Planted in 1780; but after removed to 

 its present situation, at a great size, on a sledge, having its large ball of earth 

 frozen about its roots (being cut round the previous yeai") by application of 

 water, by the ingenuity of my father, who had never heard of Lord Hardinge. 



29. Weeping Willow, north of sun-dial. Blown down 6th Dec. 1822. This 

 was a very large and beautiful tree ; and proved, among numberless instances I 

 have noted, that the weeping willow does best in dry ground. The fancy of 

 planting them to overhang water is highly pleasing : but they seldom do well 

 there, and rarely ripen their young twigs. 



30. Roscoe's Oak. A tall, noble, and stately tree, in the same oaken grove 

 with 21, 22, and 23. Sown in 1766. 



31. Wood's Elm. Of the Worcester kind. Driven as a stake into the 

 ground, in 1770, to mark one corner of an intended building; but, growing, 

 was suffered to stand ; and a prodigious tree it became : but, losing a great arm 

 by a hurricane, it showed signs of decay, which formed a pretext to cut it down, 

 in 1829, for the sake of the weeping yew, which it terribly overtowered. It 

 was sold for something more than 8/.; but played cruel havock with the tools 

 of the vociferous sawyers, being full of nails, from having constantly had a large 

 vine trained over its trunk and branches. 



Having now disposed of my schedule, I proceed to your next request ; hover- 

 ing, however, between the desire of dilatation, and the resolution to compress. 

 In 1776, a quillet of land, behind my present house and buildings, 143 yards 

 long, and 9 yards wide, was thickly sown with acorns, most of which, the 

 second year, were transplanted into the nursery, and many thousands subse- 

 quently sold. A moderate quantity were left in the seed-bed, 68 still growing 

 there, of which Nos, 21, 22, 23, and 30. in the schedule are the finest. These 

 have been twice thinned by the axe, and each thinning brought nearly 25/. 

 In 1775 those transplanted were planted out in various fields, in rows, hedge- 

 rows, and single trees, many hundreds of which are now growing in a most 

 vigorous and thriving state. Of a few of the largest I will give the circum- 

 ference at 5 ft. from the ground. In Meadow, near Felton Old Village, 1st 

 open row south, beginning at the west : tree in. 6 ft. : viii. 6 ft. 4 in. : xii. 

 6 ft. 2 in. Second open row, beginning west : tree i. 6 ft. 1 in. : x. 5 ft. (broad 

 leaf): xiii. 7ft. 5^ in. (bifurcate). Third open row: tree in. 5ft. 11 in. 

 (this was an acorn from the great oak at Maesbrook, remarkable for always 

 leafing three weeks earlier than usual with oaks : this, its offspring, does not 

 inherit that property). Fourth row, in hedge, beginning at east end: tree 

 XXXIII. 3 ft. 1\ in. : xlv. 4 ft. 4 in. East side of Twyford Orchard, not in, 

 but near, the hedge, being my neighbour's fence. On these the notch is on 

 the west side, on account of the ditch. Beginning at north end : tree in. 

 5 ft. 51 in. : vi. 5 ft. 3 in. : vii. 5 ft. 7iin. : xin. 6 ft. 7 in. : xix. 5 ft. lOin. : 

 XXI. 5 ft. 9 in. Round hawthorns, beginning west, at the great Holyhead 

 road: oak ix. 5ft. %\'m. : xi. 5ft. 9in. : xix. 5ft, lOJin. : xxx. 4ft. 11 in. : 



