CLAREMONT 119 



There are commodious potting and tool houses, and new 

 quarters for the gardening staff are about to be built. 



It is really, however, its trees that give Claremont such 

 great distinction and so unique a place among the residential 

 estates of the British Isles. Writing lately, Mr. W. J. Bean, 

 of the Royal Gardens, Kew, said, " It is a considerable 

 distinction for a garden to possess the finest specimen in the 

 kingdom of even one kind of tree, but Claremont has within 

 its boundaries four or five for which we believe precedence 

 may be claimed over all others of the same species in the 

 British Isles." The trees referred to are Gymnocladus 

 Canadensis (Kentucky Coffee Tree), which is 60 feet in height 

 and still in vigorous health. And another unmatched speci- 

 men is Sassafras officinale, 50 feet high. One of the rarest 

 trees in Britain is Magnolia macrophylla, and no known 

 specimen comes anywhere near the dimensions of the tree 

 at Claremont, which is 45 feet in height. The leaves of this 

 are of great size, and it presents a striking picture beside the 

 more common trees surrounding it. The specimen here of 

 Sequoia sempervirens is a model of perfect health and vigour, 

 and is a particularly shapely and handsome tree, over 100 feet 

 in height and 1 3 feet i o inches in girth. The above-mentioned 

 four trees are unrivalled in this country. They are carefully 

 watched and tended, and it is hoped that they will long stand 

 the stress and strain of storm and tempest. For to the 

 arboriculturist they are valuable and ancient monuments. 

 From the casual observer the specimen of Pterocarya Caucasica 

 will perhaps call forth the most admiration. Its trunk is 

 quite short, the lowest branches being only a few feet from 

 the ground. Its spread is immense, and the long fernlike 

 leaves mark it out as a conspicuous object of grace and beauty. 

 A huge specimen of the Cork Oak (Quercus Suber) is another 

 striking tree, though not in perfect condition. Many other 

 rare trees of somewhat lesser age and size are of wide repute — 

 Magnolia acuminata, several fine Cedars, Pinus muricataSo feet 

 in height, a magnificent sample of Cryptomeria japonica, and 

 a perfect specimen of Cunninghamia sinensis. 



