194 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[August 18, 1888. 



the party had in view, the programme admitted of 

 only a brief stay in the town. 



Passing up the Jed Water the attention was 

 directed to Lintlee, where the Earl of Richmond 

 attacked Sir James Douglas with 10,000 men, but 

 the latter turned the sweeping and pliant branches 

 of the Birches which abounded in Jed Forest to 

 excellent account as a means of defence. Twining 

 them together athwart from stem to stem the 

 enemy's horse were thrown .into confusion and 

 easily routed. Very little of the old forest remains, 

 the most notable relics of it being found on the 

 estate of Ferniehurst, the property of the Marquis of 

 Lothian, before reaching which, however, the party 

 passed through the estate of Linthaugh, belonging 

 to the Earl of Howie. Here were found some 

 remarkable specimens of Black Italian Poplar, com- 

 mon Spruce, and Larch. The Poplars are said to 

 be 110 years old ; the tallest is 125 feet in height, 

 with a girth of 13 feet at 3 feet from the ground. 

 The largest Spruce, which girthed 10 feet, is eighty- 

 five years old. 



On the Ferniehurst estate two of the most remark- 

 able relics of the ancient Jed Forest are found. 

 Both are Oaks, and are named respectively " The 

 Capon Tree " and " The King of the Wood." The 

 latter is about 78 feet high, with a girth of 16 feet 

 6 inches, and is estimated to contain about 300 cubic 

 feet of timber. The former, the top of which suffered 

 considerable damage by the snows of the winter of 

 1872, has a girth of 26 feet 6 inches at 3 feet from 

 the ground, and at 5 feet from the ground 24 feet 

 3 inches. At another point of the estate are some 

 Lime trees of peculiar character. They are large, 

 wide spreading trees, growing in a group of six, with 

 an average girth of 16 feet 6 inches, and an average 

 height ot about 93 feet. But the most remarkable 

 feature about them lay in the fantastic character of 

 their huge lower limbs which, striking out horizont- 

 ally beyond the line of the upper branches, rise 

 perpendicularly with considerable bulk and weight 

 of timber. In other parts of Ferniehurst clumps of 

 Birch and Oak of considerable age are pointed out 

 as remains of the ancient forest of Jed, but appear 

 rather to be the suckers that may have sprung from 

 the stools of the original trees than those them- 

 selves. 



Leaving Ferniehurst, Howden Burn was next 

 visited, where some fine Scots Firs were inspected, 

 the largest of which girthed 8 feet 8 inches, and was 

 80 feet high — the bole clean and straight to 50 feet 

 high. 



Hartrigge, the seat of Lord Stratheden and Camp- 

 bell, was next visited. Among the many fine trees 

 in the park were noted a grand specimen of Scots 

 Fir, with finely-balanced tabulated head, the bole 

 girthing 10 feet 6 inches. Near the mansion-house 

 some Oaks were found to girth 13 feet 10 inches, and 

 some Hornbeam girthed 7 feet 10 inches. 



On leaving Hartrigge the party drove on to Mon- 

 teviot, the beautiful and extensive seat of the Marquis 

 of Lothian. Here lunch was provided for the party 

 by Lord Lothian, which, in the absence of whom, 

 was presided over by Mr. Caverhill, his lordship's 

 agent. A letter from Lord Lothian was read by 

 Mr. Caverhill expressing his lordship's regret that 

 he could not personally receive the visitors. After 

 lunch the party proceeded to inspect the extensive 

 park, and its wealth of trees and shrubs. 



The river Teviot winds eastward through the park 

 a little to the south of the mansion, its banks 

 adorned with widespread lawns, shrubbery, and 

 flower gardens, all in good taste, and enriched 

 with grand clumps and individual specimens of 

 the usual classes of park trees. The greater 

 part of the plantations are comparatively young, 

 having been planted by the present Marquis and his 

 predecessor, while the late Marchioness also con- 

 tributed largely to the development of the picturesque 

 beauty of the place by her excellent taste in arbori- 

 culture. 



Among the more interesting specimen tree3 noted 

 was an Abies Pinsapo on the terrace west of the 

 mansion, supposed to have been planted about 

 twenty-five or thirty years ago, the bole of which 

 girthed 5 feet 9 inches, and the height was 38 feet. 

 An Abies nobilis in the flower garden, of about the 

 same age as the last named has a girth of 5 feet 

 1 inch, and is 50 feet high ; and near by this stood a 

 grand A. Douglasii, having a spread of branches of 

 35 feet, and a height of 47 feet. These three Coni- 

 fers are all of the Bame age. A remarkable Weeping 

 Ash in the same part of the grounds had a spread of 

 branches of 30 feet, and a height of 20 feet. 



The visitors returned to their hotel to dine, being 

 much impressed with the picturesque scenery they 



had witnessed during the day, particularly with the 

 extensive panorama they viewed from the top of 

 Peniel Heugh, a lofty eminence within Monteviot 

 Park, which commands a magnificent view of the 

 valleys of the Teviot, the Tweed, and the Jed, and 

 seven of the border counties, including that of 

 Northumberland. 



The company dined in the " Spread Eagle " Hotel, 

 Jedburgh, Dr. Cleghorn in the early part of the 

 evening occupying the chair, Mr. James Watt suc- 

 ceeding on his retirement. Messrs. Dunn and Kyrke 

 acted as croupiers. Among the topics discussed at 

 the dinner Mr. Watt alluded to the disposal of the 

 surplus still lying in the hands of the Executive 

 Council of the Edinburgh Industrial Exhibition of 

 1886. The Council had apparently a difficulty in 

 deciding what to do with the surplus, which amounted 

 to several thousands of pounds, and he suggested 

 that it should be put to establishing a Forestry 

 School in Edinburgh. 



Leaving Jedburgh the following morning the excur- 

 sionists drove to Ancrum, the seat of Sir W. Scott, 

 Bart., a finely timbered park of limited extent where 

 some remarkable Limes, Elms, purple and common 

 Beech, and other ordinary classes of park trees 

 abound. Several Limes were remarkable for their 

 dimensions. The largest had a girth of 18 feet 

 11 inches, and the smallest girth was 15 feet. These, 

 with their mighty spreading tops of 80 or more feet, 

 were considered by the arboriculturists worth a day's 

 march to see. 



Leaving Ancrum, a drive of about 7 miles along 

 the banks of the Teviot, brought the party to the 

 " Craggs " entrance to Minto grounds, the seat of the 

 Earl of Minto. Here there were no relics of old 

 forests to excite the curious in tree lore, but there 

 was to be found instead, on every hand, to the extent 

 of about 1000 acres, as grand evidence of arboricul- 

 ture as is to be found in the South of Scotland. 

 The park is one of the most picturesque of a most 

 picturesque county. The chief attraction in the 

 woodlands were the Larches, which here, alike in 

 numbers and in size, rival the famous Larches of 

 Dunkeld, Perthshire. The older trees are in the 

 beautiful glen which traverses the park from north 

 to south. They were planted in 1736, the greatest 

 girth taken was 12 feet 1 inch, the greatest 

 height 135 feet, with about 80 feet of clear, almost 

 untapered stem. Younger trees on other parts of 

 the estate, of about eighty years of age, promise 

 by their luxuriance and health to perpetuate the 

 fame of Minto for its Larches. But many other 

 kinds of trees thrive equally well here. To give 

 dimensions would be tedious, but some magnificent 

 Silver Firs should not be passed over. The largest 

 of these girthed 11 feet 9 inches, and was 120 feet 

 in height. 



From Minto the party passed through Denholm 

 Dean , a beautiful wooded glen, by the southern bank of 

 the Teviot, on to Cavers, the seat of Captain Palmer 

 Douglas, and thence to Hawick where they took tea, 

 and several of the excursionists returned to their 

 respective destinations. 



At Cavers one notable Ash was pointed out, which 

 is locally known as the " Pope Tree." It is said to 

 be 300 years old, and is 16 feet girth, the top, how- 

 ever being much mutilated. 



Eoses sent by Messrs. B. R. Cant, Colchester ; stands 

 of Carnations and Picotees came from Mr. Charles 

 Turner, Slough. Messrs. Laing & Sons, Forest Hill, 

 contributed a selection of Begonias and Caladiums, 

 &c. Mr. Blair, Trentham Gardens, was mainly instru- 

 mental in organising the Society, and he also managed 

 the show. 



TRENTHAM HORTICULTURAL. 



July 26. — This Society held its first annual exhi- 

 bition in Trentham Gardens, by the kind permission of 

 the Duke of Sutherland. Although many years ago 

 the horticultural exhibition at Trentham was among 

 the first events of the kind in the northern portion 

 of the county, in recent times the show had been 

 abandoned. This season a new Trentham Horti- 

 cultural Society was formed, and met with ; very 

 favourable support. The Marquis of Stafford became 

 its President ; the Duke of Sutherland, Lord Ronald 

 Gower, Duchess of Sutherland, and others became 

 patrons. The weather, after a somewhat threaten- 

 ing morning, was fine in the afternoon, and between 

 7000 and 8000 persons attended. On entering the 

 marquee the visitor ^as struck by the groups of 

 ornamental foliaged and flowering plants, arranged 

 for effect, which ran along each side of the marquee, 

 and terminated at the end with a fine collection 

 from Trentham Gardens, including a display of choice 

 Orchids, which were disposed among Ferns. Other 

 groups also contained fine plants, and considerable 

 taste had been shown in the arrangement, one of the 

 most conspicuous being that of W. Thompson, Esq., 

 Walton Grange, Stone, who had good Orchids. 

 In the cut flower division the chief feature was the 



PLANT PORTRAITS. 



Amelanchiee oligocarfa, Garden and Forest, 

 July 18. 



Anheltonium Lewlnii, Hennings, Gartenflora, 

 August. — A Mexican Cactaceous plant with very 

 thick fleshy root, contracted stem, tufted succulent 

 leaves, with spines at the tip, surrounding a dome- 

 shaped flower-stalk, with numerous pale rose flowers. 

 The whole plant measures only about 3 inches 

 across. 



Apple Red Astrakan, Bulletin d'Arboriculture, 

 July. 



Begonia geeanioides, Bulletino delta R. Societa 

 Toscana di Orticullura, July. — Natal. Acaulescent, 

 flowers white. 



Begonia Gloike de Lucebne. — Illustrierte Monats- 

 kefte, July. — A cross between Begonia Frederick 

 Schlegel and B. corallina. 



Cattxeva Habbisoni2e violacea, Orchid Alburn, 

 t. 333. 



Cattleta Waenebi, Revue de I 'Horticulture Beige. 

 — August. 



Cheery, Royale Hative (Eaely Royal), May 

 Duke, Bulletin d'Arboriculture Beige, August. 



Cypripedium Amesianum (villosum X venustum), 

 Orchid Album, t. 340. 



Dendeobium Fytceanum eoseum, Orchid Album, 

 t. 336. 



Dendeobium macrophyllum, Orchid Album, t. 339. 



Habranthus Newallii, Garden, August 4. 



Houlletia Beocklehukstiana, Orchid Album, t. 

 337. 



Odontoglossum Vuystekeanum), Orchid Album, 

 t.334. 



Phlox Stellaeia, Garden and Forest, July 25. 



Polygonum ealdschuanicum, Regel, Gartenflora, 

 t. 1278. — A climber ; leaves cordate, ovate, acute ; 

 flowers numerous, small, pink, in branching panicles. 

 Native of Bokkara. 



Rose, Louis van Houtte, H.P., Revue de I'Horti- 

 culture Beige. — August. 



Schombuegkia undulata, Orchid Album, t. 335. 



Vanda lamellata Boxalli, Orchid Album, t. 

 338. 



Zygopetalum beachypetalum b. stenopetalum, 

 Regel. — A variety differing from the type in its 

 narrow segments and five-ribbed disc. 



Colonial Notes. 



QUEENSLAND. 

 Rockhampton Botanic Gardens. — The establish- 

 ment of the botanic gardens was contemplated 

 from the time when the town was first surveyed, as 

 the original plans show various sites were set 

 apart for gardens and public parks. In 1872 the 

 reserve of 100 acres, with a frontage to the Murray 

 Lagoon, was selected as the most suitable. The lagoon 

 ensures a permanent supply of good water, and the 

 soil is light sandy loam, of good depth, and very 

 easily worked. The then Premier, now Chief Justice 

 of Queensland, Sir Charles Lilly, approved of the 

 selection, and has always taken an interest in the 

 progress of the gardens. At a meeting of trustees 

 held in September, 1873, the present Superintendent, 

 Mr. J. S. Edgar, was appointed. A few weeks after- 

 wards a contract for fencing wa3 let, the clear- 

 ing of the land of the indigenous scrub was com- . 

 menced at the same time, and within a short period 

 6 acres were cleared and securely fenced. This 

 piece has been used for nursery and experimental 

 work, tropical fruits and economic plants generally 

 receiving special attention. So far the results have 

 been very gratifying. Most of the valuable fruits of 



