FORESTRY year. On this estate from five to ten thousand young Spanish chestnuts and ashes are planted yearly, both for game and commercial purposes. ^ Godmersham Park, the seat of Mr. Ellis Cunliffe Lister Lister-Kav, incloses an area of 560 acres ; it is now stocked with a herd of 120 fallow deer, reduced from 400. There has been very little planting done on the estate for the last thirty years, other than for land- scape purposes. Mr. Lister-Kay does not think that it is likely that any more planting will be undertaken, although there is a considerable area of derelict land, until the landowner is relieved of the payment of all rates and taxes for a period of not less than thirty years on such land, conditionally on his planting it. The land in question, though unused and bringing in nothing to owner or tenant, still bears a heavy tithe, the system of farm apportionment obtaining in this district instead of field apportionment.^ Waldershare Park (Earl of Guilford) incloses an area of about 500 acres. The herd of fallow deer is kept down to about 150. The park is richly wooded, the principal features being numerous clumps of very fine beeches, locally known as ' The Beech Clumps.' The largest trees are the Spanish chestnuts, of which there are some exceptionally good specimens. There is also a particularly fine avenue of limes. In the coverts, the trees are nearly all oak ; the underwood, consisting of hazel, horse-chestnut, ash, etc., is cut every ten years. The oak required for estate purposes is felled in the coverts where the underwood is due to be cut, and each year such gaps are filled by young trees raised in the nursery. A fair quantity of larch and Scotch fir are also raised in the nursery, transplanted, and finally used for estate fencing. The underwood has depreciated enormously in value since the abandonment of hop growing in the immediate neighbourhood.^ The park round Mereworth Castle, the seat of Viscount Falmouth, has an area of 124 acres ; it is stocked with a herd of 105 fallow deer. The timber of the park is chiefly ash, beech, elm, and oak, with some Spanish and horse chestnuts ; the beech trees are exceptionally fine. There has not been much planting on the estate of late years, though gaps in the park timber are always replaced. The greater part of the woodlands on this property has been ussd as underwood and cut periodically. At one time this was a fairly profitable trade, but it is now at a very low ebb owing to the change of training hops on wirework instead of on poles.* The park of Surrenden Derring, near Ashford, on the estate of Sir Henry Nevill Derring, bart., incloses 260 acres ; it is stocked with about 150 fallow and 50 Japanese deer. The park is very finely timbered. The underwoods on this estate are generally kept regularly planted up after the falls, which occur every year, the same land being felled at intervals of about twelve years. A small amount of ornamental planting is done occasionally, and a few acres of plantation, chiefly coniferous trees, have been recently laid out.^ The park of Boughton Place, near Maidstone, on the property of Mr. George Ryder, has an area of 75 acres, and now feeds a small herd of about 30 fallow deer. It is well timbered, and includes a wood of 3 acres which is chiefly beech and oak. The Mote Park, Maidstone, the seat of Sir Marcus Samuel, bart., incloses about 560 acres, which is stocked with 150 fallow deer. The park is generally well wooded, and includes some fine forest timber, such as oak, elm, beech, and chestnut, as well as some choicer trees such as maple, silver elms, and tulip trees. There are also some of the finest black u'alnut trees in this country. The park of Mersham Hatch, on the estate of Sir VVyndham Knatchbull, bart., in whose family it has remained since the days of Henry VIII, covers upards of 400 acres and is stocked with about 150 fallow deer. It used to be appendant to the manor of Aldington, which was transferred to Henry VIII by Archbishop Cranmer.* East Sutton Park, on the estate of Sir R. M. Filmer, bart., incloses about 100 acres of well-wooded land, including a few ancient forest trees ; it is stocked with a herd of about 90 fallow deer. Hall Place, Tonbridge (Mr. S. Hope Morley), stands in a well-wooded park of about 140 acres. The herd of fallow deer averages from 100 to no. There is a good grove of beech and oak, but nothing noteworthy about the timber. ^ From information kindly supplied by Mr. J. S. Goodwin, land steward. ^ From information kindly supplied by Mr. E. C. Lister-Kay. ^ From information kindly contributed by Mr. G. F. Hodson, agent to the Earl of Guilford.
- From information kindly supplied by Mr. James Horton, land steward to Lord Falmouth.
5 From information kindly communicated by Mr. Alfred J. Burrows, land agent. • Furlcy, op. cit. ii. 522-3. 477
