THE NORWAY SPRUCE. 



291 



tree, branched from top to bottom. It 

 is beautiful in that as in all ways, but, 

 like most conifers, it is best seen in its 

 true forest form with a tall mast-like 

 stem, and in our illustration its effect 

 is shown in that way. There 

 are chances, however, of 

 enjoying it in both ways, 

 as at the edges of the wood 

 or in isolated groups, when 

 it keeps its branches long. 

 All visitors to Oakley Park, 

 Cirencester, agree that one 

 of its finest features is the 

 avenue of Firs, known as 

 the " Cathedral Firs," and 

 there is no mistaking the 

 remarkable effect of their 

 stems. The avenue is about 

 150 yards long and 50 

 yards wide, and many of 

 the trees are 110 feet or 

 more high; one of the larg- 

 est, which was blown down 

 some years ago, was found 

 to be 1 20 feet in length. In 

 a young state the Spruce 

 grows rapidly, but those at 

 Oakley Park are very old. 

 They are known to be not 

 less than 110 years old, and 

 are thought to be much 

 older. The oldest inhabi- 

 tants of the district remem- 

 ber them well for upwards 

 of seventy years, and state that they fail 

 to see any marked change in their ap- 

 pearance during that time. On Lord 

 Bathurst's estate there are other fine 

 avenues, one being of forest trees six 

 miles in length, while another is com- 



posed entirely of English yews from 

 800 to 1,000 years old. 



The natural area of the Spruce is 

 most irregular, showing the least de- 

 velopment on the south-west, from 



THE NORWAY SPRUCE AT OAKLEY PARK. 



whence it widens over central Europe 

 in a north-easterly direction, extending 

 from the Maritime Alps on the one 

 hand to the Arctic Zone. In northern 

 regions, as in Norway, the Spruce comes 

 down to the sea coast, and is rarely 



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