57 



sted in Kent, which Mr. Elwes reports to be 8oft. high by 8ft. in 

 girth. 



Wellingtonia and Redwood. 



These two trees, regarded as the marvels of the vegetable 

 kingdom, were only discovered about the middle of the nineteenth 

 century. Their introduction created extraordinary interest and 

 large numbers of young trees were established in gardens all over 

 the country. Many of these are now very equal in size. In many 

 localities, as might be expected, they proved a failure, while in 

 others a great success. The first to be discovered was that called 

 by Lindley Wellingtonia (Sequoia giganiea) in honour of the great 

 warrior. This is an evergreen tree reaching in the Sierra Nevada 

 of California a height of 250ft. to 325ft. Some of these giants 

 probably antedate the Christian era. In old trees in their native 

 country the branches begin at 100ft. to 150ft. The leaves are 

 blue-green completely covering the branchlets. The cones are 

 compartively small only i^in. to 2in. long. The Wellingtonia 

 differs from the redwood in not reproducing itself either by suckers 

 from the root or by coppice shoots. There is a pendulous variety 

 as well as one in which the young shoots are amber-coloured at 

 first and then become deep yellow. One of the largest Welling- 

 tonias in the country grows in a sheltered glade at Fonthill Abbey 

 and in 1906 was probably over 100ft. in height. I have measure- 

 ments of a Wellingtonia made by Mr. McCullum, the forester at 

 Canford Manor, of a tree growing in Cedar Wood Park estimated 

 to be 100ft. in height with a girth of 13ft. gin. A tree at Merly 

 House, near Wimborne, growing in a sheltered dell and closely 

 surrounded by other trees is estimated to be over 100ft. high with 

 a girth of 8ft. 4m. A Wellingtonia at Charborough Park measured 

 by Mr. Milne is 72ft. in height w'ith a girth of 9ft. In Beech House 

 Gardens, near Hinton Admiral, Mr. Rogers, gardener to Sir 

 George Meyrick informs me there is a Wellingtonia 70ft. 

 to 75ft .high with a girth of 15ft. 7m. The Redwood (Sequoia 

 sempervirens) the other giant tree, is also a native of California 

 and parts of Oregon, where it occupies a narrow strip of country 

 along the sea coast. It attains a he ! ght of 340ft. and occasionally 

 50ft .to 75ft. in girth. The bark is sometimes six to twelve 

 inches thick. The leaves differ from those of the Wellingtonia 

 in being flat and slightly grey or whitish underneath. The cones 

 are smaller, J to lin. long. Redwood timber is highly valued for 

 building; it is reddish, free from resin, and of a light soft nature. 

 There is one variety with the young shoots creamy white. There 

 is a very large number of redwoods in various places in this 

 country. In reference to one group, Mr. Elwes writes: " In a 

 sheltered dell, known as the wilderness at Cuffnells, near Lynd- 

 hurst, the seat of Mr. R. Hargreaves, are three splendid redwoods 

 which were planted about the year 1855 by his father." These 

 measured (about T908) 102ft. by 10ft. 8in., 98ft. by 15ft., and 

 105ft. by ioft. ioin. respectively; the last being equal or superior 



