Remarkable Trees
The finest specimens of Cryptomeria known to us in England are at Hempsted, the seat of the Earl of Cranbrook, in Kent, which Lord Medway thinks were planted before 1850. They grow in a sheltered situation on a greensand formation, and the largest exceeds Sequoia sempervirens, planted near it, in height. I made it 80 feet by 8 feet, and another tree 72 feet by 8 feet 2 inches. Both are symmetrical, and seem to be growing fast (Plate 42).
At Pencarrow, in Cornwall, a number of trees were planted by Sir W. Molesworth in 1848–9, and have thriven very well, though the soil is not very favourable. Mr. Bartlett informs us that the tallest of them, which grows on a dry, steep, stony bank, crowded by other trees, is now 68 feet by 5 feet 6 inches. The largest, on moister soil, is 62 feet by 8 feet. Six other trees, planted in 1875, vary from 48 feet by 5 feet down to 33 feet by 4 feet 3 inches. At this elevation, 450 feet, there is often snow, and the thermometer sometimes falls to 12° and 14°.
At Castlehill, in North Devon, the late Earl Fortescue planted many Cryptomerias, but though they have grown well, they are mostly rather bushy than tall trees, and may have been raised from cuttings. One of them, which was 8 feet in girth and only 40 feet high, was covered with burr-like excrescences as much as 8 inches long.
At St. George's Hill, near Byfleet, growing on Bagshot sand on the highest part of the hill, surrounded by pines, is a tree 64 feet by 5 feet 5 inches.
At Kitlands,[1] near Leith Hill, Surrey, there is a large Cryptomeria, planted by the late D.D. Heath, Esq., the branches of which have taken root and formed a grove, whose branches in turn root outside.
There is a fine tree at Killerton, which in 1902 was about 75 feet high, by 6 feet 5 inches in girth, though owing to its situation it was difficult to photograph or to measure exactly. A tree at Bicton is nearly equal to it in height and girth. At Eastnor Castle, Worcestershire, the property of Lady Henry Somerset, there is a tree 65 feet high by 5 feet 10 inches in girth.
At Fonthill Abbey, Wilts, the seat of Lady Octavia Shaw-Stewart, there is a beautiful tree 67 feet high by 9 feet 3 inches in girth. At the entrance gate of Rufford Abbey, Notts, the seat of Lord Savile, there is a fine tree about 62 feet high.
At Dropmore a large tree, planted in 1847, was cut down in 1904,[2] and measured 68 feet 6 inches by 5 feet 9 inches. Though it seemed in perfect health, Mr. Page informed me that the heart was partly decayed. There are still three good specimens at Dropmore—two of the Chinese kind, planted in 1847, which measure (February 1905) 64 feet by 5 feet 6 inches, and 62 feet by 6 feet 7 inches; the third, var. Lobbii, planted in 1853, is 74 feet high by 4 feet 7 inches in girth. These measurements were kindly sent by Mr. Page.
At Barton, Suffolk, one, planted in 1848, was found by Henry in 1904 to be
