Forestry  Exhibition  at  Gloucester. 
247 
perhaps  some  special  attention.  The  Turkey  Oak,  it  is  true, 
both  in  its  own  home  (as  in  the  Balkan  States)  and  also  in 
England,  produces  timber,  which  is  rather  despised,  as  it  is 
unsuitable  for  use  out-of-doors  ; but  it  is  of  value  for  indoor 
work.  Its  possible  use  is  for  planting  in  small  quantity,  in 
mixture  with  the  sessile  oak,  on  hilly  land.  It  would  probably 
serve,  with  its  rather  shade-bearing  quality,  as  a substitute  for 
beech  to  some  extent.  In  nearly  all  parts  of  the  world  where 
oak  forests  naturally  occur  it  is  noticeable  that  two  species  are 
found  growing  together — one  allied  to  the  common  oak, 
producing  acorns  in  the  first  year  ; the  other,  like  the  red  oak  of 
America  or  Q.  Cerris,  ripening  its  fruit  in  the  second  year. 
A very  fine  plank  of  Turkey  Oak  was  shown  by  Lord  Dudley. 
The  Lucombe  Oak  (the  original  tree,  and  not  its  descendants), 
which  is  very  vigorous  in  growth,  might  also  serve  for  the  same 
purpose  as  the  Turkey  Oak,  and  Mr.  Elwes  showed  a beautiful 
cabinet  made  of  this  wood. 
The  Spanish  Chestnut  is  one  of  the  broad-leaved  trees,  the 
cultivation  of  which  might  be  increased  on  suitable  soils  in  the 
southern  parts  of  England  and  Ireland.  The  Earl  of  Dudley 
showed  a good  plank,  27  in.  wide,  from  a tree  ninety-five  years 
old,  which  had  grown  in  mixture  with  oak,  ash,  and  larch,  on 
deep  sandy  loam  in  a sheltered  situation.  This  tree  contained 
about  170  cubic  feet  of  timber.  Mr.  Braid  informed  me  that,  at 
Witley  Court,  chestnut  timber  on  sandy  loam  and  on  clayey 
loam  was  practically  free  from  shake.  It  grows,  however, 
faster  on  sandy  loam  than  on  clayey  loam.  On  dry  deep  sand 
it  is  slow  in  growth  and  inferior  in  quality.  In  Class  6°,  a 
specimen  illustrated  well  the  ill  effects  of  altitude  and  exposure 
on  this  species.  At  700  ft.  elevation,  in  an  exposed  situation, 
the  chestnut  had  only  attained  4 ft.  in  height  at  forty  years 
old.  Another  specimen  showed  its  distaste  for  lime — a tree 
growing  on  calcareous  soil,  though  favoured  by  a low  sheltered 
situation,  being  only  21  ft.  high  at  seventy-eight  years  old  ; 
and  most  of  the  chestnuts  that  had  been  planted  here  had  died. 
I need  not  refer  in  detail  to  the  many  interesting  exhibits 
of  coniferous  timber,  which  were  shown  in  Classes  2“  and  4“. 
Mr.  T.  J.  M.  More,  of  Linley  Hall,  showed  a log  cut  from 
a larch  tree  which  is  said  to  have  been  planted  in  1738,  a week 
before  the  famous  larch  trees  of  Dunkeld  and  from  the  same 
batch  of  seedlings.  The  seed  is  stated  to  have  been  brought 
from  the  Tyrol  by  Robert  More,  M.P.,  F.R.S.  This  old  larch 
grew  on  oolite  at  about  700  ft.  elevation.  In  Class  11“  Mr. 
More  obtained  the  first  prize  for  an  excellent  gate  made  out 
of  the  timber  of  this  tree. 
Earl  Beauchamp,  in  one  of  the  non-competitive  classes, 
showed  ten  remarkable  larch  poles  which  were  cut  out  of 
