598 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[November 24, 1888. 



duced by something like a quarter or even half an 

 acre of such varieties as some of our finest Del- 

 phiniums, Godetias, Phlox Drummondi, &c. Con- 

 spicuous among many fine things we were struck by 

 a very splendid variety of Godetia named the Lady 

 Satin Rose, not yet sent out, as well as a beautiful 

 variety of the same species named Princess of Wales, 

 and several others. There was also a great breadth 

 of the pretty Rhodanthe Manglesii, and a new 

 variety of the same named Purple Queen. Mimulus 

 grandiflorus and Mimulus Brilliant, several very fine 

 varieties of Nasturtium, including Cloth of Gold, 

 with very pretty flowers and still prettier golden 

 foliage ; together with Helichrysum Pire Ball, 

 Eschscholtzia Mandarin, Antirrhinum Ruby Gem, 

 not yet out; Mimulus Brilliant, Viola lutea, and 

 several fine bedding Pansies, including Carter's 

 fancy striped, Lord Beaconsfield, and a very fine pure 

 white variety. There were also immense breadths 

 of the finest varieties of Mignonette ; and the newest 

 and best sort of Sweet Peas. These, with many 

 other varieties of the latest introduced, and best 

 annual and other flowering plants, too numerous to 

 mention, are cultivated here with the greatest 

 care, and also subjected to a vigilant system of 

 " roguing " — a term well understood in the trade, and 

 which means the prompt removal and destruction of 

 all plants which may happen to show symptoms of 

 inferiority, or deviation from the true type, in form, 

 colour, or habit of growth. 



Nearly all, however, at the time of our visit, were 

 aglow with bright and beautiful colours, and many 

 of them diffusing the most delicious perfume, render- 

 ing this approach to the ancient village of St. Osyth 

 so pleasant that the traveller may well be ex- 

 cused if he lingers in passing through the same. 

 To the kindness of Mr. Gardener, who has for some 

 twenty or more years been the successful manager 

 of this extensive and interesting seed farm, we were 

 indebted for what our time permitted us to see of 

 the same. 



The Village and Manor House. 



St. Osyth is a somewhat large and very ancient 

 village. Its Saxon name appears to have been 

 "Chick," and it derives its present name of St. Osyth 

 from the Lady Osyth, who was the daughter of 

 Frithwald, the first Christian king of East Anglia, 

 and of his wife Walburga, who was daughter to 

 Penda, king of Mercia. She is said to have founded 

 a church and a nunnery here, the latter being sup- 

 posed to have been one of the earliest monastic 

 establishment in England. She was murdered, and 

 her nunnery plundered and destroyed by the Danes, 

 about the year 653, in one of their not infrequent 

 incursions on the east coast. 



The church of St. Osyth stands in the village, and 

 is a very ancient structure, and it is also said to be 

 one of the largest in the county of Essex, originally 

 built of rubble and flint, in the same style as the 

 external walls of the ancient Priory, from which it is 

 only a short distance. The tower of the church is a 

 very massive structure, and the interior arrangement 

 consists of a nave and two aisles, with a very lofty 

 timbered roof, while, in the centre of the chancel is 

 a singular inclosure of an oval or horseshoe form ; 

 this is known as the fold, into which communicants 

 enter and kneel. It is said there is only one other 

 church in England in which this is to be found. 

 The church also contains many sculptured monu- 

 ments to the memory of former owners of the manor 

 and Priory, &c. ; and conspicuous on the north wall 

 is one to the memory of the founder of Charing 

 Cross Hospital, while a window on this wall also 

 presents a figure of St. Osyth, and another on the 

 south wall represents her martyrdom. 



The Priory and its manor appears to have had 

 many owners. King Canute granted it to the great 

 Earl Godwin, who, it appears, gave it to Christ's 

 Church at Canterbury, and soon after the Norman 

 Conquest it became the property of the Bishops of 

 London, one of whom founded the monastry. After 

 the dissolution Henry VIII. granted it to his 

 favourite, Thomas, Lord Cromwell, and after his 



execution it again reverted to the crown. It sub- 

 sequently came into the family of Darcy, and Lord 

 Darcy was created Earl Rivers in the year 1641. 



It afterwards passed by marriage to the third Earl 

 of Rochford, who built the principal part of the 

 present mansion. In 1857 the Priory and estate 

 became the property of the present owner, Sir John 

 Henry Johnson, who has made considerable altera- 

 tions and greatly improved the property. 



The gardens, pleasure grounds and glass structures 

 now cover some 9 acres of land, and everything is 

 kept in excellent order. The mansion is in the form 

 of a vast quadrangle, and being built at sundry periods 

 is of various styles of architecture. The noble gate- 

 house or entrance to the grounds is a very handsome 

 structure in the late Norman style. It is built of 

 flint and hewn stone, covered with beautiful tracery 

 On the right are the extensive ruins of the ancient 

 monastery, the chapel of which has been restored, and 

 is unique in character and in good preservation, as 

 is also a lofty tower from which charming views are 

 to be obtained of the surrounding country, including 

 the estuary of the Colne and Blackwater, the German 

 Ocean and the island of Mersea. 



The gateway alluded to faces the south, and 

 towards the east, in the ancient wall, may be 

 observed what must have been the principal entrance 

 to the monastery, but which is now built up. The 

 glass structures consist of a central conservatory, 

 from which extend to the right and left houses 

 for the cultivation of Grapes, Peaches, and other 

 exotic fruits. The conservatory contains some fine 

 specimens of old-fashioned plants in good condition. 

 On a wall near to this, some 30 or more feet high 

 are trained some very fine climbing plants, including 

 a magnificent specimen of the Wistaria sinensis, 

 which, in addition to clothing a large portion of this 

 lofty wall, extends itself at a right angle from the 

 same, so as to form a canopy or covering for a broad 

 walk, and must, when in full flower (which was 

 lately the case) have been an object of great beauty. 

 Another portion of this high wall is covered to the 

 top with healthy Fig trees bearing abundance of 

 fruit, which, notwithstanding the unfavourable 

 season, had . every appearance of ripening soon. 

 The grounds also contain many examples of beau- 

 tiful trees, such as a gigantic Tulip tree (Liriodendron 

 tulipifera), supposed to have been planted more than 

 a hundred years, and blooming profusely; also a 

 very fine example of the Cedrus Deodara, which was 

 planted in 1861. On the west side of the mansion 

 is a fine geometric flower garden, the beds of which 

 are well filled with the most choice varieties of 

 bedding plants, adjoining which is a fine lawn or 

 tennis ground. This very beautiful and interesting 

 garden establishment has for many years been 

 under the care and management of Mr. Howard, and 

 the excellent condition in which all is kept does him 

 credit, while his intelligence and civility leave a 

 very favourable impression upon all who may visit 

 St. Osyth Priory. P. G. 



certain coefficient called " the form figure." The 

 product of s x h represents a cylinder with a base 

 equal to that of the tree at 4 feet 6 inches from the 

 ground, and a length equal to the height of the tree, 

 tie volume of which is considerably larger than that 

 of the tree, as the latter tapers from the base 

 upwards ; hence/ is a fraction of 1, and as the pro- 

 duct, s X h, is thus reduced by multiplying it with/, 

 the latter is sometimes called the reducing factor. 



During late years a large number of Silver Fir 

 woods, of varying age, from early youth up to 

 maturity, have been carefully measured, arranged 

 in different qualities — best, middling, and inferior — 

 by ascertaining their height, sectional area at height 

 of chest, and their cubic contents ; by dividing with 

 the product of height by sectional area (h x s) into 

 the volume, the form figure has been ascer- 

 tained. The tables thus constructed can now be 

 applied to the measurement of standing woods with- 

 out any fellings whatever, by merely measuring the 

 height and sectional area, and by taking the form 

 figures from the tables. 



The following extract shows the mean volume of 

 solid wood in a well-stocked Silver Fir wood growing 

 in a locality classed as belonging to the first quality 

 up to an age of 140 years, beyond which age no 

 figures are available : — 



THE DOUGLAS FIR IN SCOT- 

 LAND. 



(Concluded from page 569..) 



Assuming, then, that the average tree in the Tay- 

 mount plantation will show a future development 

 similar to that shown on the above mentioned cross- 

 section, I have endeavoured to forecast the volume 

 of solid wood, or growing stocks (3 inches and upwards 

 in diameter), which an acre of land belonging to the 

 first quality is likely to contain at various periods. 



In order to facilitate my task I shall commence 

 by giving such data for the Silver Fir, obtained by 

 careful and extensive measurements on the Con- 

 tinent. The volume, or cubic contents of a stand- 

 ing tree, is best calculated by the following formula : 



s X h X /. 

 Here s represents the sectional area taken at a 

 convenient height above the ground, usually the height 

 of the chest of a man, or about 4J- feet ; h indicates 

 the height or length of bole ; and / indicates a 





No. 



of 



trees 



per 



Mean 

 ht., 

 feet. 



Section- 

 al area 



at 

 height 

 of chest, 

 square 



feet 

 per acre. 



Form 

 figure 

 for 

 solid 

 wood. 



Volume of 

 solid wood 

 (3 inches 



upwards) 

 cubic feet 

 per acre. 



Mean Tree. 



Age, 

 yrs. 



Section- 

 al area, 

 square 

 feet. 



Diam. 



32 



1715 



17 



93 



•65 



1,032 



•053 



3 1 



50 



931 



42 



177 



•47 



3,458 



•190 



5-9 



75 



433 



75 



243 



•47 



8,532 



•561 



10-1 



100 



213 



97 



295 



•46 



13,291 



1-385 



15-9 



125 



126 



109 



335 



•45 



[16,291 



2-659 



221 



140 



101 



114 



353 



■44 



17,720 



3495 



25 3 



In order to prepare a similar table for Douglas 

 Fir, it is necessary to ascertain the total sectional 

 area per acre, the mean height, and the form figures 

 for the years 50, 75, 100, 125, and 140 years ; and 

 this, with the scanty material at present available, 

 can only be done in a rough and preliminary 

 manner. 



Sectional Area. — We know that the sectional area 

 of a dominant (or leading) tree is as follows : — 



At the a^e of 50 years = 1-115 square feet. 



75 = 1-847 „ 



10) , = 2-885 „ 



,, 125 „ = 3715 „ 



110 = = 4307 „ 



In order to ascertain the total sectional area per 

 acre at these periods, we must ascertain the number 

 of trees which a well stocked acre is likely to contain 

 at the same periods. We know (1) that a well-stocked 

 acre contains 202 Douglas Firs at the age of thirty- 

 two years ; (2) that 101 Silver Firs 140 years old, of 

 a mean sectional area of 3'495 square feet, find room 

 on an acre ; (3) that generally a Douglas Fir requires at 

 least as much room as a Silver Fir of the same 

 sectional area, and, in fact, somewhat more, owing 

 to the somewhat more spreading nature of the 

 branches ; and (4), that a Douglas Fir 140 years old 

 shows a sectional area of 4'307 square feet. 



Taking these facts into consideration, the follow- 

 ing numbers of Douglas Firs per acre have been 

 estimated : — 



At the age of 32 years 202 



By multiplying these numbers with the mean sec- 

 tional area per tree, the total sectional areas of all 

 trees per acre are obtained. 



(i.) Height.— The following facts are at our dis- 

 posal : — (1). A Douglas Fir thirty-two years old has 

 a mean height of 60 feet ; mean annual height growth 

 = 22J inches ; (2), a Douglas Fir fifty-seven years 



