Robinia 1503 



almost everywhere in England. When I visited Coleshill in June 1905, I could 

 find no one who remembered them, and the late Mr. Pleydell-Bouverie, uncle of the 

 present Lord Radnor, who then lived at Coleshill, thought that they had all dis- 

 appeared with the exception of a few near the house, which measured 60 ft. by 8 ft. 

 3 in. and 65 ft. by 9 ft. 3 in., and two or three in the park. 



Neither at Botley, where Cobbett lived for some years and planted American 

 trees, nor in the surrounding district, where the soil and climate suit this tree as well 

 as any in England, could I find any trace of locust plantations. 



The only plantation which we have seen and of which any exact details are on 

 record, is the Brickhills plantation on the estate of Sir Hugh Beevor at Hargham, 

 Norfolk. This has been described ^ by its owner in the Quarterly Journal of Forestry, 

 ii. 301-303 (1908), and the results are so favourable that they should be read by 

 everyone. Sir Hugh sums up by saying, " For its own sake I shall continue to grow 

 it for estate use, having always utilised and refused to sell any. The chief use I put 

 it to now is as stakes for rabbit-proof fencing ; and these when taken up at the end 

 of ten years will be used again for a similar term. To supply stakes no tree is so 

 well fitted, and it would be worth planting for this purpose only." 



In 1842 W. Withers of Holt, Norfolk, compiled a work^ of over 400 pages on 

 this tree, in which he prints a great many communications, among which one 

 written by F. Blaikie from Holkham in 1828 states, "I found great difficulty in 

 protecting young locust trees from hares and rabbits. These animals prefer it to 

 any forest tree. They could not have been so plentiful as they are now, at the 

 time Mr. Coke reared the innumerable locust trees growing at this place. Those 

 trees thrive on our most inferior sandy soils where other forest trees barely exist. 

 We do not succeed in raising plants from home-grown seed, though it appears sound 

 and well grown." Here also I failed to find any evidence that this species was now 

 valued ; and it may be said generally that though in almost every southern county 

 large trees may be found, which are often decayed at the heart, yet Robinia is no 

 longer looked on as useful for general planting; and that unless pruning of the 

 branches is carefully attended to, this tree is more likely to suffer from wind when 

 young than other trees. 



All my observations go to show that Robinia is essentially a lover of a hot, 

 dry, and sandy soil, though it only attains a large size and age on a good sandy 

 loam ; and while it tolerates lime, grows much better without it. It is easy to raise 

 from seed and grows rapidly from the first ; but the shoots often fail to ripen and 

 are liable to freeze when young. It should be transplanted in the spring when 

 a year old, as its root system is not naturally fibrous, and be planted out when two 

 or three years old in a sunny position. Though Robinia trees may be seen drawn 

 up to a great height in mixed plantations,* where their rapid growth has given 



• Sir Hugh Beevor gives me the foUowii^ notes on this plantation, which was made in 1829 and measured in 

 1901 : — "Where pure the trees cover not quite an acre ; on the best half-acre there are 40 trees per acre with a volume of 

 1000 cubic ft. ; canopy incomplete on account of windfalls ; largest tree with a volume of 80 cubic ft." 



' The Acacia Tree (1842). 



' Paeske of Brunswick, in Mitt. Deut. Dend. Ges. 191 1, p. 77, recommends the planting of Robinia as scattered solitaiy 

 trees in birch woods, which will provide shelter against the wind, and yet give enough sunlight for it to develop well. Amidst 

 birch, the Robinia cleans its stem perfectly, being often free from branches up to 40 ft. in fairly good soil. 



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