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beech at Woodfidley in the New Forest which Mr. Lascelles con- 

 siders the finest beech in the forest, and of which the measurements 

 as given by him are 120ft. high, 14ft. 6in. in girth at 5ft., carrying 

 its girth well up, with an estimated cubic content of 650ft. In 

 old Burley enclosure is another magnificent beech, rather shut in 

 by other trees, and therefore difficult to measure for height. I 

 estimated it at 110ft. high. The girth was 18ft., dividing at about 

 25ft. into two main trunks, which carried a girth perhaps 8ft. up 

 to a great height. I have no doubt this tree contains 700ft. to 

 800ft. of timber." 



From Ashton Court near Bristol I have received from Mr. 

 Napier a photograph of a splendid beech 130ft. in height with a 

 girth of 1 6ft. at 5ft. There is a fine beech at Charborough Park,, 

 which measures 69ft. in height with a girth of 15ft. Another at 

 Canford Manor is 90ft. in height with a girth of 14ft. 8in. At 

 Heron Court there is a group of beeches planted in 1806. They 

 have not attained large dimensions, probably owing to the dry 

 gravelly soil. Among the decorative varieties of the common 

 beech are the well-known Copper and Purple beeches. The 

 copper is probably a seedling variety from the purple beech. The 

 leaves are paler and of a coppery red. The purple is by far the 

 more popular variety. A fine copper beech grows at Wrackleford, 

 near Dorchester, the property of Mr. Alfred Pope. It measures 

 10ft. 3111. in girth. An upright beech, similar to the Lombardy 

 poplar, is known as the Dawyck beech. The Fern-leaved beech 

 makes a fine shapely tree and is a distinct ornament in any garden. 

 There are also weeping beeches. In some forms of these the 

 whole tree is of an umbrella-like shape. 



Elm. 



It is somewhat difficult to distinguish between the different 

 elms owing to the large number of varieties and natural hybrids. 

 At one time the leading botanists recognised only two true species 

 — the English elm and the Wych elm. 



In the recently published monumental work, " The Trees of 

 Great Britain," by Elwes and Henry, there are carefully described 

 five native species and about thirty varieties. The elm with which 

 we are most familiar in this neighbourhood is the Common or 

 English elm, a native of Southern England. It is found in woods 

 and hedges, especially in districts with fairly stiff soils. The 

 fertile valleys both in Hampshire and Dorset are said to be full 

 of big elm trees. 



Gloucestershire holds the record for the tallest elms. The 

 largest true English elm in Hants, recorded in 1887, was at 

 Broadlands, near Romsey. This was 100ft. high, with a girth of 

 24ft. 6in. At Canford Manor, a fine elm, near the Nineveh Court, 

 is uoft. high with a girth of 17ft. 4m. 



At Charborough Park there is a still taller tree measuring 

 115ft. with a girth of 20ft. Further west at Melburv Park there 

 is a row of seven large elms known as the Seven Sisters, stand- 



