Fraxinus 877 



school. In 1794, it had only a few branches remaining, which were, however, still 

 vigorous. At Curraghmore, the seat of the Marquess of Waterford in the county of 

 that name, there were many enormous ash trees, one of which 'was 22^ feet in girth 

 at a height of 13 feet 9 inches, the girth of the butt being 33 feet 9 inches. In 1792 

 Hayes measured the famous ash tree at Leix in Queen's County, which was 40^ feet 

 round at i foot, and 25 feet at 6 feet up, where the girth was least. Marsham in a 

 letter to Gilbert White, dated 12th February 1792, says that a print of this tree was 

 then being engraved in London, but we have never been able to see a copy of this, 

 if it was ever published. 



An ash at Castledurrow, which Hayes says was the finest he ever saw, in 

 October 1793 measured 18 feet in girth and nearly as large at 14 feet high, the 

 branches extending 45 feet from the stem in every direction. Another at Kennity 

 Church, King's County, was 21 feet 10 inches in girth with a bole of 17 feet. The 

 funeral parties used to stop and say prayers under this tree, after which they threw 

 a stone at its foot. 



None of these relics of antiquity now remain ; and most of the fine ashes have 

 been cut down. Probably the tallest now left in Ireland is one at Woodstock in 

 Co. Kilkenny, in an alluvial flat beside the river Nore and close to the village of 

 Inistioge (Plate 242). Henry, in 1904, made it 127 feet in height by 16 feet 9 

 inches in girth; but the forester's records give it as 136J feet high in 1901. This 

 tree was 11 feet in girth in 1825, 11 feet 8 inches in 1834, 13 feet 2 inches in 1846, 

 and 16 feet 9 inches in 1901, according to the same records. Another tree beside 

 it, which was 9 feet 5 inches in girth in 1825, was 11 feet 9 inches in 1901 ; and 

 a third tree, 10 feet 5 inches in 1825, had attained 15 feet 3 inches in 1901. 



At Mitchellstown, in Co. Cork, there was in 1903 a remarkably fine ash, with 

 a tall clean stem, which was 1 1 1 feet high by 9 feet in girth. Another tree, 9 1 feet 

 high, was 27 feet in girth at 2 feet above the ground, but only 15 feet 2 inches at 6 

 feet up. At Kilmacurragh in Co. Wicklow there is a good ash, the height of which 

 exceeds 100 feet, but is impossible to measure on account of the situation of the 

 tree ; the girth in 1903 was 13 feet at 5 feet above the ground. There are fine trees 

 of great girth (17 to 18 feet), but not remarkable for height, at Doneraile Court, 

 Co. Cork. Henry measured in 1904, on Lord Oranmore's property at Castle 

 Macgarrett, Co. Mayo, a tree 119 feet by 14 feet 2 inches, containing 216 cubic feet 

 of timber. At Castlewellan, Co. Down, there are some very fine ash in the park, 

 one of which near the garden gate is figured on Plate 243. It measured in 1908 

 about 70 feet high, and 18 feet in girth. 



The finest ash that I have seen on the continent is in the Royal park of Jaegers- 

 borg near Copenhagen, and measured in 1908, 125 feet by 11 feet 8 inches. 



Ash Diseases 



The commonest disease in the ash in my own district is a canker which affects 

 trees during most of their life without killing them, though the timber is worthless 

 except for firewood. This disease is described and figured by the late Mr. Wilson 



