Report of Meetings for 18X7. By J. Hardy. 17 



The finest things in the flower borders at the time of the Club's 

 visit were Troll/us A&iaticus and T. Altiacu*. The green-house 

 was in a glow with a rich array of Scarlet Geraniums. There 

 was a good Smilax with brown berries ; and not yet in blossom 

 a giant Amaryllis from Natal, which carries a delicate pinky 

 white flower. It sends up two flower-stalks each year in spring, 

 which produce some 13 or 14 blooms. 



The gardener, Mr William Foulds, at Blanerne House, has 

 measured for me the best of the trees. The dimensions are as 

 follows : — 



Ash, 4 feet from ground, 13 ft. 5 in.; 11 ft. 11 in.; 1 1 ft. 10 in.; 



11 ft. 7 in.; It ft. 6 in ; 10 ft. 9 in. 

 Beech, 14ft. 5 in.; 12ft. 6 in.; 12 ft. in.; 11 ft. 9 in.; 10 ft. 



9 in.; 10 ft. 9 in. 



Elm, 12 ft. 5 in.; 12 ft. 4 in.; 11 ft. 9 in.: 11 ft. 8 in.; 12 ft. Oin.; 



10 ft. 10 in. 



Plane, 13 ft. Tin.; 8 ft. 8 in.: 9 ft, Oin.; 8 ft. 9 in.; 8 ft. -1 in.; 



8 ft. 3 in. 



Oak, 14 ft. 9 in., 3 feet from ground, all the rest are 4 feet 

 from ground, 1 1 ft. 8 in.; 8 ft. 1 1 in.; 8 ft. 8 in.; 8 ft. 8 in.; 



9 ft, in.; 9 ft. 9 in. 



Lime, 10 ft. 7 in.; 9 ft, 4 in.; 8 ft. Oin.; 7 ft. Oin.; 6 ft. 6 hi.; 



6 ft. 3 in. 

 Holly, 4 ft. 11 in. 

 Scoteh Firs, 7 ft. 9 in.; several on estate fully as good as this 



one. 



There is a rookery about the castle, but very much thinned in 

 numbers, owing to the damage done by the Books to the potato 

 plots and fields in the neighbourhood. Arum maculatum grows 

 below the Guard house ; and there is much Rumex viridis at the 

 base of the sloping banks. There were no primroses visible on 

 the walk. 



Guided by Dr Stuart the party went ahead along the north 

 banks of the Whitadder, sometimes across the haughs, at others 

 on the summit of the steep banks, leaving the President and 

 Secretary to come on at their leisure, and make observations. 

 The haughs, although occasionally roughened with scrubby whin 

 bushes, were mostly clothed with a rich sweet gx*ass, in which 

 several small fungi grew. Polyporus radiatm was very fine on 

 the alder. This fungus did not yield any Coleoptera, The birds 



