1891.
June 29
Railroad Journey.
England.
Chester to Hereford. - Most of the day sunny with clearer air
and sky that I have seen before in England. Clouds
gathered in late afternoon, however, and there were several
brisk showers about sunset.
  Left Chester at 11.10 A.M. by Great Western R.R. and reached
Hereford at 1.45 P.M.  The scenery was very attractive
the country hilly or rolling, some of the hills really
low mountains (one is said to be 1600 ft. high) treeless as
a rule and either green pasture land or covered with 
gorse and broom. The lower hills were often wooded.  We
passed one stretch of woods fully 5 miles long, the trees
oaks, larches, and spruces intermixed. There were streams
at frequent intervals, nearly all shallow & rapid, one
beautifully overarched by trees. The greater part of 
the country was open grass land, either mowing fields
(the grass uncut as yet) or pastures, many of the latter
moist, but never at all swampy or marshy, meadows.
There were occasional tiny pond-holes (pits they are 
called in England) a few rods across with a narrow
encircling belt of rushes but not one real pond the
entire distance. In fact I have yet to see a natural
pond of above an acres in size in England.
  A striking feature of the landscape was the
abundance of fire oaks and elms which shaded
all the roads and lanes and were scattered about
over the fields & pastures. The English elm in
England is quite as varied in shape as our elm
and its foliage is undeniably more beautiful. Many
trees assume the "weeping" habit of the American elm.
We saw a good many apple and pear orchards, the
latter trees as large as the former. The foliage of