Download Full PDF - 28.09 MB - The Society of Irish Foresters

58 Irish Forestryof starting and building up the collection was originally carried outby the 5th Earl of Annesley in the late 1800 s and it is thanks tothe interest and the sheer hard work of the Annesley family that thecollection survived and was in the excellent state it was when theForestry Division took over.From the outset it was the Ministry's intention, not only to;preserve the superb collection of trees -and shrubs hut, in factto extend it.At the time of acquisition the main Arboretum comprisedapproximately 20 acres. Following various planning meetings it wasdecided to extend the area to just over 80 acres. This was done,in the sense that the area has been delineated, some parts arehighly developed, some recently oleared of dense scrub and someunder mature hardwoods.At present Castlewellan comprises an extremely comprehensivecollection of conifers, hardwoods, woody shrubs. Of the latterrhododendrons are well represented. In addition there is a fairsized glass area in three sections, a water lily house, what is knownas the' long house', which itself is sub-divided into indoor tenderrhododendrons, an alpine section, and a general section. The lasthouse of the three is given over entirely to camelias.At the present time work is well advanced in catalogueing andrecording, not only by name but also by actual ground position,each specimen present.The final aim is to build up an international arboretum of outstandingtrees with emphasis on selection rather than collection.The" walled garden' section of the Arboretum is extremely wellpatronised by the visiting public and it is possible by prior arrangementonly, to take a limited number of parties on guided tours.COMING OF AGEThe well-known forestry and timber concern, Irish ForestProducts Ltd., has been .in existence for 21 years. To mark theoccasion a Garden and Leisure Display Centre at Glen 0' Downswas opened by the Minister for Agricucltu i'e, Mr. J. Gibbons, on30th September, 1972.PEAT-THE NEW RAW MATERIALUntil recently the very large Canadian peat deposits have beenused mainly as a soil conditioners. But now scientists, financed bythe National Research Council of Canada, have been investigatingother possible use for this material. Three such applications are:(1) effluent treatment, (2) industrial filtrations, (3) construction