trees at Redcastle, Ross-shire, planted in 1843, measured by Col. A. Thynne, are 47 feet by 7 feet 4 inches, and 40 feet by 6 feet; the latter, though exposed to the east wind, is branched to the ground.
At Ardkinglas there is a very healthy tree 50 feet by 6 feet, and at Inverary, Minard Castle, Poltalloch, and other places in Argyleshire, there are several thriving trees of good size. At Loch Corrie, near Glenquoich, there are two trees at 450 feet above sea-level, one of which in 1905 was 43 feet by 6 feet 2 inches.
In Ireland it seems at home almost everywhere. At Fota, in the extreme south, Henry measured one 62 feet by 5 feet; at Ballenetray, Co. Waterford, a tree was recorded[1] in 1884 as being 65 feet 6 inches by 6 feet; at Woodstock, Co. Kilkenny, there is a tree which in 1904 Henry found to be 65 feet by 9 feet 9 inches; and at Castlewellan, Co. Down, the seat of the Earl Annesley, and many other places, good trees occur.
In the milder parts of Western France the Araucaria thrives, but does not appear to have grown as large as in England. The best is reported by M. de Vilmorin as growing at Penandreff, near St. Renan, Finisterre, which in 1890 was 50 feet high by 7 feet 4 inches in girth. In the Revue Horticole, 1899, p. 460, this is confirmed. In Germany I have not heard of any fine examples.
Cultivation and Soil
The Araucaria should always be raised from seed, home-grown seed being preferable; for though plants have been raised from cuttings, which have grown to a considerable size, this mode of propagation is the cause of much disappointment, and of many ill-shaped and unsightly trees, not only in the Araucaria, but in many other conifers. The seed should be sown singly in pots, laying the seed on its side with the thick end in the centre, and will germinate best in a frame or cold greenhouse, where they can be protected from mice and frost. The young plants should not remain in pots more than one or at most two seasons, for though the tap-root does not become so long as in the case of pines, it wants room; and if the climate and soil are not very favourable, the young tree should not be permanently planted out till it is 1 or 2 feet high. The seedlings vary much in vigour, and on cold or calcareous soil many die young; but under better conditions the tree grows at least 1 foot a year when established.
It should be planted only in a well-drained situation, as severe frosts will often kill the trees when small; and though not so particular about the constituents of the soil as most Chilean trees, seems to thrive better on a sandy soil free from lime, especially on the red sandstone and greensand formations.
In the Gardeners' Chronicle, August 15, 1885, is an excellent note by Mr. Fowler, whose experience of this tree at Castle Kennedy was extensive, on the cultivation of the Araucaria; and another valuable note on the same subject will be found in the same journal, November 13, 1886, by Mr. C.E. Curtis. Both these authorities consider that the exudation of gum which often occurs in unhealthy trees
- ↑ Woods and Forests, Feb. 6, 1884.
