CHAP. CV.

eORYLA'CE7E. QUE'llCUS.

1837

garlic; A. pelianthinus Fi-., syn. A. denticulatus Bolt., t. 4. f. 1distinguished by the purple spiculae scattered over and fringingthe gills, like those on the lip of O'rchis fusca; A. androsa-ceus L., Bolt. Fung., t. 32., Sow., t. 94., and our Jig. 1690.;

A. pterigenus Fries, a variety of the fern agaricus, with alemon-coloured stem; Clavaria^uncea Fr., syn. C. fistulosaBull., t. 463. H., an interesting species, lately discovered inNorthamptonshire; Sphae'ria bifrons Schmidt, Sotv., t. 373.f. 4.; S. punctiformis Pers. ; Phacfdium coronatum Grev. 1690Crypt., t. 52., and our Jig. 1692.; P. dentatum Schmidt; Phoma pustulaFries ; Hysterium foliicolum y maculare Berk., syn. H. maculare Grev.,t. 129. f. 2., not H. maculiire Fr.; 1692

Sclerdtium quercinum Pers., Grev.

Crypt., t. 77., and our Jig. 1691.; Fu-sidium candidum Lk. ; Diderma glo-bosum Pers. ; D. deplanatum Fries ;and Credo Quercus Brondeau, whichappears to be very rare in this country.

It has hitherto been found only in theneighbourhood of Bungay, by Mr. D.

Stock, in a single locality.

Statistics. The British Oak in the Environs qf London. At Whitton Place, Twickenham, it is75 ft. high, with a trunk 15 ft. in circumference. At Ham House, Essex, it is 70ft. high ; the dia-meter of the head is 77 ft.; and the trunk is 14 ft. 6 in. in circumference. On Laleham Common,about half-way between that village and Ashford Brook, near two large elms called the Brothers,stands a sound, vigorous, and noble oak. The girt, at 1 ft. from the ground, is 22 ft. 10£ in. ; and at3 ft., 16 ft. (See Burnet's Amoen. Quer., fol. 14.)

The British Oak South of London. In Cornwall, at Penllergar, there are two oaks; the largest ofwhich measures about 60 ft. in height: it has a trunk 18 ft. high before it throws out branches, andgirts 13 ft. 6in. at 4ft. from the ground. It contains about 514 cubic feet of timber. The other is12 ft. 9 in. in circumference at the same height from the ground, and contains about 366 ft. of timber.In Devonshire, at Bicton, it is 102ft. high, the diameter of the head 97ft., and the trunk girtsnearly 20 ft .; at Lucombe, 33 years planted, it is 51 ft. high ; at Endsleigh Cottage, 15 years planted,it is 35 ft. high ; at Stevenstone Park it is 80 ft. high, the diameter of the head 71 ft., and the cir-cumference of the trunk 16 ft. 6 in.; at Grilston, near South Molton, it is 64 ft. high, with a pyra-midal head 58 ft. in diameter, the trunk is 9 ft. 1 in. in circumference, and the tree is in a growingstate. The Ashton Oak (jig. 1693.) stands about four miles from Chudleigh. The beautiful drawingfrom v/hich our engraving was made, was taken for us by J. Gendali, Esq., artist, Exeter, whoobserves that “the Ashton Oak has more the appearance of an ash than an oak, from the extra-ordinary cleanness of its trunk and limbs. It stands at the foot of a bold slope, which seems to havebeen a eppse wood for many years. About 30 ft. from the lower roots of the tree, on one side, thereis a considerable brook, and the limbs on this side have a tendency downwards, whilst on the otherside, towards the slope, they all turn up. Beyond the brook is the village of Ashton, backed byHaldon Hill.” (J. Gendali. Cathedral-yard, Exeter , April 3.1837.) The height of the tree to thefork, where there is a decayed branch, is 75 ft.; and the trunk, at 4 ft. from the ground, measures17 ft. 6 in. in circumference. We received the first account of this tree through the kindness ofJohn Collier, Esq , M.P., who forwarded to us the following extract from a letter which he hadreceived respecting it: —“ In the year 1805, while on a visit at Chudleigh, I was induced to walk toAshton, about 4 miles, to see the celebrated oak, from which I had heard that a plank 60 ft in lengthcould be cut. We measured the tree at 4 ft. from the ground, and found its girt to be 16 ft., and atthe surface of the ground 20 ft. From its loftiness and its being devoid of lateral branches, I believethat the information I had received was correct, and that a plank of 60ft. in length might have been

procured from it. The Ashton estate was part of the property of Sir John Chudleigh, of

Haldon House, who was of the same family as the celebrated Duchess of Kingston, she, I believe,being his niece. On the death of Sir John his property was divided among his four sisters, and theAshton: estate was afterwards sold to Lord Exmouth, who had property on the other side of theriver; but some disputes as to the title threw the affair into Chancery.” ( James White. Dec. 5. 1836.)In March last (1837) our attention was directed, by His Grace the Duke of Bedford, to aparagraph respecting this tree in the Western Times , from which it appears that this oak, “ whichis considered the finest in the county, has been sold for 60 guineas, and will be felled as soonas the barking season commences. About 30 years since it was sold for 100/., but a chancerysuit saved it from the feller till the present period. 70/. were offered for it several years back.”The oaks known as Wistman’s Wood, of which Jig. 1694. is a portrait copied’ from Carrington’sDartmoor, have been long celebrated, as already noticed (p. 1757. and p. 1786.) In Dorsetshire,at Melbury Park, 300 years old, it is 60ft. high, the diameter of the head 68ft., and the girt ofthe trunk 33 ft.; at Compton House, 200 years old, it is 80 ft. high, and the girt of the trunk

21 ft. In Hampshire, at Strathfieldsaye, it is 90 ft. high, the diameter of the head 89 ft., andgirt of the trunk 19 ft; at Hursley Park are many fine specimens, one of which contains nearly14 loads of timber; at Hackwood Park, three oaks were felled in 1836, which measured 101 ft., 115 ft.,and 116ft. in length, and 8 ft. 4in., 9ft. 4in., and 10ft. 4in., in girt; at Sharfield, near Basingstoke,on another estate of Lord Bolton’s, there is a fine growing oak, 12 ft. in girt at 3 ft. from theground, 80 ft. high, and with branches projecting 30 ft. from the trunk ; in the New Forest there are12 oaks, called the Twelve Apostles, which are fine sound trees, though somewhat stag-horned in thebranches, the largest has a trunk measuring 22 ft. 6in. in circumference. In Kent, at Cobham Hall, aremany fine specimens, with trunks 24 ft. in circumference. The Bounds Park Oak, near TunbridgeWells, is figured in the folio edition of Strutt’s Sylva Britannica :—“ At 2 ft. above the ground, it is

22 ft. in circumference; its trunk is straight and uniform; it throws out a great number of limbs, and

TO

1691