42 



It is a peculiarly hard}" tree and one of the few that will stand 

 the full force of sand-laden winds along the coast. It may be 

 battered and stunted in growth, but it readily helps to form a 

 first line of defence in seaside planting. On the other hand Sir 

 Herbert Maxwell declares that in favourable situations it rapidly 

 establishes itself by seed and produce timber, "when of sufficient 

 size, that commands a higher price than any other British grown 

 wood." That size must be not less than i8in. quarter-girth. It 

 is chiefly in demand for making large rollers used in calico and_ 

 wall-paper printing. The tree is rare on heath-lands in this dis- 

 trict, but fairly plentiful elsewhere. There are many beautiful, 

 varieties, some with leaves striped with white and yellow, yellowish 

 pink and purple, others of a rich yellow with the leaf stalks 

 reddish. 



The Norway Maple has its leaves green on both sides, and 

 the stalks exude a milky sap when broken. It is thus readily 

 distinguished from the sycamore. It is one of the handsomest,, 

 hardiest and most vigorous of our introduced trees. There are 

 more than twentv named varieties. 



The Common or Field Maple occurs frequently in hedges and 

 thickets, especially on chalk. It does not usually form large 

 trees. The wood, which is hard and of a fine grain, was formerly 

 in great demand for furniture purposes. As of local interest it 

 may be mentioned that when the Rev. William Gilpin died in 1804 

 he was buried at the foot of an English Maple growing in his own 

 churchyard at Boldre, near Lymington. Strutt gave a figure of 

 this tree, which he described as the largest of the species in Eng- 

 land. Its measurements were 45ft. in height, with a girth of 

 7ft. 6in. I have recently visited this tree, which has lost its top 

 and is evidently in a decaying condition. Its present height is 

 only about 25ft. The girth is still 7ft. 6in., but the stem is matted' 

 with ivy. Numerous common Maple trees of large size have been 

 recorded by Elwes and others. A tree at Hursley Park, Hants, the 

 property of Sir George Cooper, Bart., was considered bv Sir 

 Joseph Hooker to be the finest he had ever seen. It was 9ft. 6in. 

 in girth, with ten large spreading limbs and contained 11 1 cubic 

 feet of measurable timber. Another fine Maple about 75ft. in 

 height is mentioned as growing at Cobham Hall, in Kent. 



Horse Chestnut. 



This is one of the best known and most attractive of our large 

 flowering trees. Its native country is the uninhabited wilds of 

 Northern Greece and Albania. It thrives most vigorouslv in 

 almost every part of the British Isles, and there are fine avenues 

 and groups of horse chestnuts to be met with. For instance, the 

 splendid double avenue at Bushey Park, near Hampton Court, has 

 long been famous. " Chestnut Sunday " is a noted festival for 

 Londoners when the trees are in full bloom. 



I have seen near Wimborne a very fine horse chestnut measur- 

 ing Soft, in height, with a girth of '12ft. ioin. There is also a 



