Picea 



1379 



one at Stanage Park, Herefordshire, which measured in 191 1, 72 ft. by 5 ft. 9 in. ; 

 and another at Merton, Norfolk, 63 ft. high and 4 ft. 7 in, in girth in 1909. 



The large trees reputed ^ to be of this species at Dropmore are undoubtedly 

 P. excelsa. 



The only place I know where this tree has been planted, in quantity is 

 on the drive of the Rhinefield enclosure in the New Forest, where there are a 

 number of red and white spruce along the south end of the main avenue. The 

 largest of the former was on the north side of the first cross ride on the west 

 and measured 40 ft. by 4 ft. in 1 906 ; most of the trees had old and new cones, low 

 down on the ends of the branches, from which I have raised seedlings. The 

 largest of the white spruce at the corner of the second cross ride on the west 

 was 56 ft. by 5 ft. 4 in., and I found cones on only one of the trees. 



Some small trees sent from America grow very slowly at Colesborne. 



In 1870 Gorrie^ found a few trees of this species, about 12 to 18 ft. in height, 

 and bearing cones, which were growing on the railway bank near Tynehead in 

 Midlothian at 800 ft. elevation. They had been raised about fifteen years previously 

 from seed obtained in Newfoundland. Some of the seedlings which had been 

 planted two or three miles off in a dry heavy soil had dwindled and died. Dr. A. W. 

 Borthwick visited this place in 1906, and sent me specimens from these trees, from 

 the cones of which I have raised seedlings. The trees are now about 35 ft. in 

 height, growing mixed with common spruce, but not so large as white spruce at 

 the same place. Gorrie also reported in the same year trees about 1 5 to 20 ft. high 

 growing in Dunmore Park, near Stirling. We have not been able to discover 

 whether these are living. 



At Avondale, in Ireland, there is an experimental plot, covering about two 

 acres, which was planted in 1907 with red spruce, mixed with a small proportion of 

 white and black spruce. The red spruce in this plot is extremely thriving, being 

 about 6 ft. high in January 191 2, and exceeding in vigour a plot of European spruce 

 beside it. 



In France the species seems to grow remarkably well at Les Barres, according 

 to Pardd, who figures ' a group of three trees about 45 ft. by 4 ft. There are others 

 even larger planted in 1832 which have produced several natural seedlings. 

 Beissner says that there are fine specimens in the Karls-aue at Cassel, at Herren- 

 hausen in Hanover, and at Worlitz. (H. J. E.) 



In 1908 I visited in the Hertogenwald in Belgium, a plantation of red spruce 

 consisting of five acres in two separate plots at an elevation of 1250 ft. The soil 

 here is a loamy clay, on which the European spruce thrives remarkably well. The 

 plots had been accurately measured in 1907, when the trees were fifty-five years old 

 with the following results : — 



Number of trees per acre, 950. 



Total volume in the round per acre, 3265 cubic ft. 



Annual increment, about 60 cubic ft. per acre. 



> Kent, Veitch's Man. Conif. 451, note (1900). " In Trans. Bot. Soc. Edin. x. 353 (1870). 



' Arb. Nat. des Barres, 102, pi. 46 (1906). 



