CHAP. II. 



BRITISH ISLANDS, 



115 



The largest old oak tree in Ireland, Sir Robert Bateson in- 

 forms us, is at his residence, Belvoir Park, near Belfast. It 

 measures about 28 ft. in girt at 6 ft. from the ground ; but it is 

 split, and much damaged. It is supposed to be between two and 

 three centuries old. It grows about 50 yards from the banks of 

 the river Lagan, in rather moist soil. 



At Hillsborough, the seat of the Marquess of Downshire, in 

 Lady Downshire's garden, a tulip tree carries up the girt of 

 4 ft. 6 in. to the height of 8 ft., when it branches off. It flowers 

 abundantly, and has flowered for many years past. Close to 

 this tree is a Magnolm acuminata 25 ft. high, and 4 ft. 4 in. in 

 girt at 2 ft. from the ground, where it branches; it does not 

 flower every year, but in hot summers very abundantly. There 

 is, also, a cedar 8 ft. 8 in. in circumference at 3^ ft. from the 

 ground, where it begins to branch. It is not tall, and is quite 

 flat at the top. There are several other forest trees, and some 

 shrubs of about the same age, or perhaps older, in the grounds, 

 particularly some very fine evergreen oaks. — J. M. JR. 



No Dr. Walker has yet arisen in Ireland to determine the dates 

 of the introduction of particular species, and all that we have been 

 able to do, therefore, is to place before our readers the fore- 

 going statements. From these it appears that more had been 

 done in Ireland in the way of introducing foreign trees and 

 shrubs, previously to the middle of the 1 8th century, than is 

 generally imagined ; that a good deal has been done since ; and 

 that there is every encouragement to proceed, from the extraor- 

 dinary rapidity of the growth of the trees that have been planted. 

 There are also the greatest inducements, in point of climate, as 

 will appear in our succeeding subsection, when we give a list of 

 what are green-house trees and shrubs in England, but which 

 stand the open air in Ireland. 



Nurseries were probably established in Ireland about the 

 time when it became fashionable to plant trees. The oldest we 

 know of is that of Toole and Co. at CuUenswood near Dublin, 

 and at Shank Hill near Bray. In both gardens are some very 

 fine specimens of foreign trees and shrubs. At CuUenswood, 

 MagnoU"(7 grandiflora has attained the height of 17 ft. in 20 

 years, and M. Thompsonza/za, 15ft. in 6 years; ^'rbutus An- 

 drachne, and A. hybrida, 19 ft. in 27 years; Olea excelsa, as a 

 standard, 1 7 ft. in 27 years; Pittosporum Toblra, as a standard, 

 10 ft. in 20 yeai's ; Yucca gloriosa, 8 ft. in 30 years, with a stem 

 a foot in diameter ; Aralia spinosa, 20 ft. in 20 years; Eriobo- 

 trya japonica, 20 ft. in 20 years ; Pyrus [«S6rbus] nipalensis, 1 6 ft. 

 in 7 years; Zaurus nobilis, 25 ft. in 35 years; and Psebnia 

 Moutan, 8 ft. in 20 years. In the Shank Hill Nursery there is an 

 y^'rbutus ^ndrachne, 20 ft. high, with a head covering a space 

 30 yards in circumference, 30 years old. 



