802 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
August 19, 1893. 
length, and Windsor was reached at half-past seven 
o’clock. 
The Annual Dinner. 
At eight o'clock the annual dinner of the society 
was held at the White Hart, under the presidency of 
Mr. John Methven, vice-president. Mr. Michie, 
forester, Balmoral, was croupier. The guests in¬ 
cluded the officials of Windsor Castle, who had 
contributed so much by their kindness to the enjoy¬ 
ment of the day : Mr. Harry J. Veitch, Chelsea ; Mr. 
Forbes, Burnham Beeches; and Mr. Herrin, Drop- 
more. The toast of “ The Queen " was again specially 
honoured, and the healths of the guides for the day, 
proposed by Colonel Bailey, was also cordially 
received. Mr. Simmonds proposed the toast of 
" The Royal Scottish Arboricultural Society,” and 
spoke of the pleasure it had given them to receive so 
influential a society at Windsor. Mr. Methven 
replied. Mr. James Watt, J.P., Carlisle, gave “ The 
Land Agents,” which was replied to by Lord 
Salisbury's estate agent from Hatfield. Mr. Dunn, 
Dalkeith, gave the toast of 11 The English Arbori¬ 
cultural Society;” and Mr. Michie that of "New 
Members,” which was replied to by the youngest 
member of the society, Mr. Annand. 
Cliveden and Dropmore. 
On Wednesday morning the party visited the 
Duke of Westminster’s woodlands at Cliveden, Lady 
Fortescue’s estate of Dropmore, and the famous 
Burnham Beeches. Leaving Windsor at ten o’clock 
in a dozen well-filled breaks, the party drove 
through the town of Eton to Cliveden, where they 
were met by Mr. Nisbet, who acted as guide through 
the policies, and Mr. Harry J. Veitch. The Duke of 
Westminster, who was encountered in the course of 
the walk upon the terrace, was introduced to several 
members of the Council, and on the motion of Mr. 
Dunn a vote of thanks was given to his Grace for his 
kindness in opening the policies to them. The Duke, 
in a word, said he was very glad to see the Society 
The next place visited was Dropmore, which to the 
lover of conifers holds in England the same place 
in his regard as Murthly does in Scotland. It was 
made what it is by the culture and taste of the late 
Earl and Countess of Grenville, and it is worth a long 
day’s journey to go to it to see growing, in many 
cases with unexampled luxuriance, representative 
specimens of all the known coniferous trees in the 
world. The visit to Dropmore was greatly enjoyed 
by all, and Mr. Herrin was cordially thanked for his 
kindness and attention. 
The south-east road was then taken for East 
Burnham Beeches, amid the sylvan shades of which 
Mr. Harry Veitch hospitably entertained the party 
to lunch. Colonel Bailey, in proposing a vote of 
thanks to the guides of the day and to Mr. Veitch 
for his hospitality, expressed also the satisfaction of 
the company that the Corporation of the City of Lon¬ 
don had acquired so charming a spot for the citizens 
of London. The company then, under the charge of 
Mr. Forbes, the ranger, drove along many of the 
most charming of the grassy rides, and saw the most 
of the curious old pollarded Beeches, many of them 
from 500 to 700 years old, which are, however, too 
well-known to require description. On the way 
back to Windsor, the party made a call at East 
Burnham Park, the residence of Mr. Veitch, the 
grounds of which are at present being laid out in a 
beautiful way; and also digressed from the road to 
pay a hurried visit to the quaint old church and 
churchyard of Stoke Poges where the poet Gray 
wrote his world-famed " Elegy in a Country Church¬ 
yard.” Windsor was reached at six o’clock, and an 
hour afterwards the large company journeyed over 
the South-Western Railway to Southampton, and 
made the South-Western Railway Hotel their head¬ 
quarters for the next two days. 
In the New Forest. 
On Thursday morning, crossing Southampton 
Water to Hythe at nine o’clock, the visitors took 
carriages there and drove to the Forest by way of 
Beaulieu Abbey, a most interesting ecclesiastical 
foundation of the thirteenth century, which, with the 
estate on which it is situated, now belongs to Lord 
Henry Scott, Baron Montagu, the eldest brother of 
the Duke of Buccleuch. Amid the ruins of the 
Abbey the party spent a short time. Shortly after 
leaving the pretty village of Beaulieu, on the Exe, 
the party found themselves in the New Forest. It 
was a lovely day, the sun shone brightly, the air 
was clear though oppressively hot, and the Forest 
scenery,looking its best, was correspondingly enjoyed. 
As the horses toiled along the yellow, gravelly roads, 
there was ample opportunity of surveying the scene. 
From a small pamphlet which the Hon. Gerard 
Lascelles kindly wrote for the benefit of the mem¬ 
bers of the Scottish Arboricultural Society, it appears 
that the present Forest comprises in all a tract of 
92,395 acres. Of this vast area 27,658 acres are 
private property, and the rest are classified as 
follows:—Open heath and pasture, 40,478 acres; open 
lands with timber, 4,500 acres ; enclosed plantations, 
11,138 acres ; open plantations, 6,532 acres; and free¬ 
hold and copyhold of. the Crown, 2,089 acres; the 
Crown belongings being thus something like 64,000 
acres. Of this area, 4,500 acres are occupied by old 
woods, planted prior to the year 1700 ; 16,670 acres 
are under plantation of dates varying from 190 to 25 
years of age ; 11,000 acres are set down as rough pas¬ 
ture; and the balance has been described as " unfit 
for either agriculture, growth of timber, or pasture.” 
The soil of the whole area is a flinty gravel, varying 
very much in quality, and though heather is growing 
everywhere, there is not in the New Forest anything 
like the peat deposits which are known in the High¬ 
lands of Scotland. From the Gorse-fringed road 
leading to Lyndhurst, the Forest capital, the eye 
wandered over great plains covered with Heather in 
richest bloom, with here and there a few scrubby 
trees breaking the flatness of the surface. At 
another point the view was bounded by plantations 
of Scots Fir, a tree which thrives wonderfully well on 
the poorest soil of the F'orest, or by some of the other 
plantations of hardwoods. Then the carriages would 
drive into a tree-clad hollow, and emerge again into 
the open to disclose the same familiar aspects of 
scenery. Herds of cattle and ponies were frequently 
encountered ; now and again a house was passed; but 
otherwise the solitudes seemed unbroken by life. 
Very few birds were seen, and of game hardly even 
a rabbit was visible. At the top of one of the stiffest 
hills which were encountered, a glorious prospect - 
burst upon the sight. On every side, as far 
as the eye could reach, was 
A Magnificent Amphitheatre 
of undulating woodlands, with the beech, already tak¬ 
ing on its golden autumn hue, coming in well against 
the darker foliage, while right ahead, upon 
rising ground, could be seen the spire of Lyndhurst 
Church and the mansion-houses of the Chancellor of 
the Exchequer and Lord Londesborough. On the 
outskirts of Lyndhurst, situated in the very heart of 
the F'orest, is a capital golf course, and as the 
carriages passed along the occupants gave a cheer to 
several players of the game who were encountered. 
The carriages drew up at the Crown Hotel about 
half-past twelve o’clock, and half an hour later 
luncheon was served in the New Forest Hall. 
Colonel Bailey presided, and the Hon. Gerald 
Lascelles was the guest of the Society on the occa¬ 
sion. The Chairman proposed the deputy surveyor’s 
health, and afterwards that gentleman kindly showed 
the party over the Verderers’ Hall, a building which 
dates from the time of Queen Elizabeth, and in 
which F'orest Courts are still held for the settlement 
of common rights and the granting of shooting and 
other kinds of licences. One of the curiosities of the 
place, which was hung round with woodland trophies, 
was an oaken dock on which no tool had passed save 
an axe. In it forest defaulters have still to stand for 
trial. During the rest of the afternoon, under the 
kind escort of Mr. Lascelles, the party drove or 
walked through some of the more interesting parts 
of the Forest, examining the old and new plantations, 
admiring the show trees, and seeing for themselves 
how impossible it is to hope that woodlands open to 
cattle can reproduce themselves by natural means 
unless they are fenced. Perhaps, the most delightful 
woodland passed through in the course of the day 
was the Mark Ash Wood, some 300 acres in extent 
in which are growing Beeches dating from the days 
of the Tudors. These two had been pollarded in 
their youth, and though they have not assumed the 
grotesque forms of the Burnham Beeches, the effects 
of the pollarding were viewed with much interest. 
One of these giants, which had just died, was 
18ft. 4m. in girth. The wood abounds with adders, 
and one was killed igin. in length. Horses and 
men alike arrived dead beat at Southampton about 
half-past eight o'clock in the evening after an 
exhausting but most profitable and delightful day in 
the forest. 
Friday morning found only some seventy or eighty 
ready at nine o'clock for the drive through the 
Forest to Lyndhurst, the exhausting walk of the 
previous day having told severely upon some of the 
weaker members, who sought to reinforce their 
shattered powers by a sea trip to the Isle of Wight. 
A Drive through the Forest. 
The woodland scenery which was passed through 
surpassed in beauty that which was so much 
enjoyed. One historic forest glade was traversed, 
and if fewer giant trees were met with, the party 
had the satisfaction of seeing what many of the 
most competent authorities have pronounced to be 
two of the best Oak plantations in the country. 
After leaving Lyndhurst the route taken was by Min- 
stead Manor, which, with its fine parks, fruit-laden 
orchards, and stately trees, is a veritable oasis amid 
the forest wastes. Thence the road was by Mal- 
wood, the residence of the Chancellor of the 
Exchequer. Permission was kindly granted to view 
the grounds, and with the situation of Malwood, the 
suitability of the Elizabethan character of the 
architecture to the site, and the tasteful manner in 
which the policies, extending to about three acres, 
had been laid out, the whole party were greatly 
charmed. Malwood is built on one of the highest 
parts of the Forest, and commands the most beauti¬ 
ful and extensive views of the surrounding country 
From this place the party walked up the valley, 
which opens up pleasantly towards the west, and 
visited in succession a number of woods of Beech 
and Oak and Scots Fir of various ages. In nearly 
all of them there was a great undergrowth of fresh 
glistening-leaved Holly, which, it seems, has grown 
up in an extraordinary way all over the forest since 
the deer were removed in 1851. From Bentley the 
party proceeded to Stoneycross, a delightful little 
village in the Forest, and leaving their carriages 
there, they walked again to the Rufus Stone in the 
Cauterton Valley, where lunch was served about 
half-past two o'clock. Colonel Bailey presided, and 
proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Lascelles and his 
assistants {or their kindness to the company during 
the two days they had been in the Forest. They 
were especially indebted to Mr. Lascelles for writing 
and putting at their disposal so excellent a history 
of the arboriculture of the district. Mr. Lascelles, 
in reply, said he had been only too pleased to 
welcome them to the Forest. It had been to him a 
great pleasure to see them, and to accompany them 
in their walks. As to the pamphlet, he might 
mention that a great deal of the information it con¬ 
tained had never before been printed. It was quite 
accessible to the public, only it was contained in 
Forest records, which were not often consulted 
There was an impression abroad that the cultivation 
of the F'orest only commenced in the reign of 
William and Mary in the year 1700, but that was a 
great mistake, for they had records to show that 
planting had been engaged in as far back at least as 
1530, and from that date to the middle of the present 
century there was more planting and more care 
given to the trees than there had been since. He 
hoped they would all take away with them pleasant 
memories of the Forest. He should certainly look¬ 
back on their visit with pleasure, and he hoped it 
might not be long before they returned to Hamp¬ 
shire. After a short rest, carriages were taken again 
at Stoneycross, and a hearty cheer was given to Mr. 
Lascelles previous to his departure for Lyndhurst. 
Driving by the pretty village of Cadman, on the 
northern boundary of the Forest, Southamptom was 
reached at 5.30. Shortly after seven o’clock a 
special train from Southampton took the party to 
London, where they rested for the night at the 
Grosvenor Hotel, Pimlico. 
Kew Gardens and Earl’s Court. 
On Saturday the party divided the day between 
Kew Gardens and the F'orestry and Gardening 
Exhibition at Earl’s Court. They were admitted 
into Kew shortly after nine o'clock, and left soon 
after mid-day for Earl’s Court, where they w r ere 
received by Mr. H. E. Milner and entertained to 
luncheon, Mr. Milner presiding. The Chairman, in 
proposing “ Prosperity to the Royal Scottish Arbori¬ 
cultural Society,” said it was with great pleasure 
that the directors welcomed the members of that 
society to the Forestry Exhibition to see what had 
been provided for the profit and amusement of the 
people. Mr. Dunn, in responding, said this was an 
occasion which would go down in the records of the 
society. It was an occasion on which the members 
had reaped as great benefits as on any previous 
excursion, and they had been enabled to store their 
