2000

ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM.

PART 111.

the trunk divides. A number of tender shoots spring out annually from its topmost branches,and still give it, by the brightness of their foliage, an appearance of freshness altogether unex-pected in such a ruin.” Not far from this tree, in the same park, is the Fallen Chestnut, alsofigured by Strutt. Gilpin mentions some fine chestnuts on the banks of the river Tamar, in Corn-wall , at an old house belonging to the Edgecumbe family; and also 70 or 80 trees at BeechworthCastle, in Surrey , with trunks measuring from 12ft. to 18 ft., and even 20 ft., in girt. One of thesetrees was measured by Mitchell, and found to be 18 ft. in circumference, and 90 ft. high. At Win-ley, near Hitchin Priory, in Hertfordshire , a chestnut, in 1789, girted upwards of 14 yards (42 ft.)at 5ft from the ground: its trunk was hollow, and in part open; but its vegetation was vigo-rous, At Great Canford, in Dorsetshire , there were four large chestnut trees in the^time of Grose:one of which measured 37 ft. round, and bore fruit plentifully, though the tree was much shiveredand decayed by age. In Martyn’sMiller it is stated, on the authority of Ord’s MS., that the stem of anold chestnut near Fraiting, in Essex, yielded 30 loads of logs ; and another is mentioned in Glouces-tershire , which contained within its hollow trunk “ a pretty wainscoted room, enlightened withwindows, and furnished with seats.” In Greenwich Park there are some large and old chestnuttrees; one of which, in 1795, measured 17 ft. 6 in. in girt. At Shelford Lodge, Hampstead, in thesame year, a chestnut measured 15 ft. in girt at 5 ft. from the ground —In Scotland , a number oflarge chestnut trees are mentioned by Dr. Walker, Mr. Sang, and Sir T. D. Lauder. The latter ob-serves, that the chestnut is found near all the old aristocratical residences in Scotland . He mentionsa magnificent group of these trees at Winton, in East Lothian ; and has given a figure of one atRiccarton, in the county of Edinburgh , the trunk of which measures 27 ft. in circumference, and thehead covers a space 77 & in diameter. “ A Spanish chestnut at Preston Hall measures, at 1 ft fromthe ground, 18 ft. in girt; and at 10ft., 19ft.” A chestnut at Kinfauns Castle, in Perthshire, whichwas cut down in 1760, had a trunk which measured 22ft. 8in. in circumference; and, thoughit was hollow, all the branches had leaves and fruit upon them the year it was cut down. It wassupposed to be above 200 years old. The great chestnut that stood at Finhaven, in Forfarshire, waslong accounted the largest tree of the kind in Scotland . We have given some account of it in ourGeneral History, p. 90. At Levenside, in Dumbartonshire, a chestnut of surprising bulk was throwndown by a hurricane, January 13th, 1739. Sang has given the dimensions of 17 large chestnuts, thesmallest of which measured 8 ft. 6 in. in circumference at 4 ft. from the ground, with a trunk 36 ft.in length, and stands at Leslie House, in Fife; and the largest, which was blown down about theend of the last century, had a trunk which measured 17 ft. in circumference, and was 22 ft. in height.This chestnut, along with several other very large ones at the same place, is supposed to have beenupwards of 300 years old.—In Ireland , there have been many fine chestnuts in different parts of thecountry. An avenue at Duganston, cut down in 1793, contained trees which measured from 14 ft.to 16 ft. 6 in. in circumference, with trunks, some of them 24 ft., and others 36 ft. in length. AtCranmore, near Belfast , is a very large chestnut tree, already mentioned, p. 1 IS. At Bellione, treesplanted 27 years had trunks 5 ft., and one 7 ft., in circumference at 1 ft. from the ground, and couldhave afforded planks 16 ft. long, and 12 in, broad. They grew in a strong loam on alimestone rock.”{Hayes's Treat., p. 162.)—In France , near Sancerre, M. Bose saw a chestnut 32 ft. 6 in. in circum-ference at 6 ft. from the ground, which, 600 years before, was called the Great Chestnut of Sancerre.It was supposed to be 1000 years old, notwithstanding which its trunk looked perfectly healthy on itsexterior ; and it bore every year an immense quantity of fruit. Near Bode, where there are still somevery large chestnut trees, there was one which fell in 1807, and which produced 18 cords of wood of144 French cubic feet, 2500 poles 8 French feet long each, 90 stakes, and 300 faggots. At Plessis,near Becherel, there is a chestnut, the trunk of which measured above 30 ft. in circumference atabout 4ft. from the ground; but its roots, which rise up out of the earth, wouid give it a muchgreater extent if it were measured at the surface. The English prisoners of war, who were confinedat Becherel, frequently visited this tree; and, from their report, few.English travellers pass any wherenear it without turning out of their road to see the celebrated chestnut of Plessis. {Bose.) NearParis , at La Celle, Dr. Neill mentions, in his Horticultural Tour, an ancient plantation of marroniers,or cultivated chestnuts. Most of them, he says, are grafted trees; and, in some instances, the grafthad greatly overgrown the stock. One aged tree measured, at the place of grafting, no less than 22 ft.6 in. in circumference; while, immediately below the graft, the stock was only 15 ft. 6 in in circum-ference. In the’Forest of St. Germain en Laye, the deputation, of which Dr. Neill is the organ, foundchestnuts ( chCdaigniers , not marroniers,) scattered up and down as single trees, and in small separateplantations. They were frequently of great age and large dimensions; the bole sometimes measur-ing 13 ft., 14 ft., and 15 ft. hi circumference, and being sometimes quite hollow, though the head wasvigorous, (p. 365.) In Tuscany , the chestnut trees of Valombrosa are celebrated for their size,,theabundance of their leaves, and the deepness of the shade which they produce. (Seep. 1987.) Theexpression, “ Thick as the leaves of Valombrosa,” has, indeed, almost passed into a proverb. (SeeLauder's Gilpin, voL i. p. 101.) In Sicily, the chestnuts of Mount Etna have been already men-tioned. The dimensions of the 3 largest (Castagno di Cento Cavalli, Castagno di Santa Agata, andCastagno della Nave) have been already given (p. 1987.).

Existing Trees of C asthnea v4sca. The oldest trees in the immediate neighbourhood of Lon-*don are in Greenwich Park and Kensington Gardens; but they are, for the most part, hollowtrunks, w r ith pollard-like heads. At Muswell Hill is the old chestnut figured in our last Volume,which is 66 ft. high ; at Mount Grove, Hampstead, it is 57 ft high, diameter of the trunk 3ft. 6 in.,and of the head 44ft. ; near Richmond, in the grounds of the Countess of Shaftesbury, it is (>0ithigh, diameter of the trunk 11 ft. 6in., and of the head 60 ft — South of London . In Devonshire,at Bicton, it is 28 ft. 6in. high, diameter of the trunk 7 ft.; at Killerton, 34 years planted, it is 56ft.high, diameter of the trunk 2 ft. 6 in., and of the head 57 ft.; at Endsleigh Cottage, 22 years planted,it is 50 ft. high, diameter of the trunk 1 ft. 5 in., and of the head 14 ft. In Dorsetshire , at MelburyPark, J00 years old, it is 65 ft. high, diameter of the trunk 9 ft^and of the head 60 ft. ; at ComptonHouse, 60 years planted, it is 60 ft. high, diameter of the trunk 3 ft. 4 in. In Hampshire, at Strath-fieldsaye, it is 98 ft. high, with a trunk 4 ft. in diameter. In Kent, at Cobham Hall, 10 years planted,it is 30 ft. high, diameter of the trunk 9 in. (for the old trees at Cobham, see p. 1999.); at Walder-sliare is a fine old tree {Jig. 1926.), 91 ft- high, with a trunk 24 ft. 10 in. in circumference at 1 ft. trornthe ground, and 15 ft. lOin. at the height of 28 ft. The trunk is 51 ft. high before it divides intobranches, and the diameter of the head is 65 ft. It grows in a sheltered situation, in loam on gravel.In Somersetshire , at Nettlecombe, 120 years old, it is 60 ft. high, diameter of the trunk 6 ft., ana oithe head 72 ft. 6 in. In Surrey , at Botch worth Castle, are some remarkably large chestnut trees.One measured for us in May, 1837, was 80 ft. high, the diameter of the trunk, at 1 ft. from the ground)

8 ft., and of the head 222ft. The timber contained in this tree was estimated at 14 loads zoit.Another tree at the same place was (55 ft. high, the trunk 6 ft. 6 in. in diameter, and was estimatedto contain 13 loads 8 ft. of timber. At Farnham Castle are some remarkably fine old chestnuts: one is76 ft. high, diameter of the trunk 7 ft 6 in., and of the head 60 ft.; and another 65 ft. high, diameceuf the trunk 7 ft., and of the head 60 ft. In Sussex, at Cowdrav, there is a magnificent avenue,