The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1859-11-17

OF several feet, even, Is dry as AT
ash heap, from July to October, and the
hills are so steep that fire aseends them
with wonderful facility. And th Big
Trees are SCARED, and gouged and hol.
lowed out at the root and upward, as the
effects Of successive fires, one of which o.
originating far southward, ran through this
locality so late as last Autumn, burning
one of the forest kings so that it has since
fallen, half destroying another already
PROSTATE. through the hollow of which
two horsemen (not q. 2. r Jane g, |
trust,) were accustomed to ride abreast
for a distance of fully one buodred feet,
and doing serious damage to very many
others. If the village of h afiposas. the
County, or the State of California, does
not Immediately provide for the safety Of
these trees, | shall deeply deplore the in
fstuation, and believe that these giants
might have been more happily located.
The Big Trees are usually accounted
Redwood, but have strong resemblance
to the Cedar family, so that my intel,i
gent guide plausibly insisted that they
are Identical in species with their probable
coteHp poraries, the famous Cedars of Leb-
anon. The larger Cedsrs in their viein.
ity bear a decided resemblance to the
smallest Of them; and yet there are quite
obvious differences between them. The
Cedar's limbs are BY far the more nu-
merous, aud come far down the trunks;
they are also relatively smaller. The
Cedar's bark is the more deeply creased
up and down the trunk, while the foliage
OF the Big Trees is nearer allied to that
of certain Pines than to the Cedar s.
The bark of the Big Trees is very thick
in some instances, over tive feet and
is OF dry, light quality, resembling cork:
heuce the fatal facility of damage by
Junniog fires. The wood of the Big
Trees is of light red color, seeming de-
void alike of sap and resin, and to burn
about as freely while the tree lives as
year or more after is death. Unless in
in the Cedars Of Lebanon, suspect these
mammoths of the vegetable world have
20 couDterpartS out OF California.
They are of course not all of extraor-
dinary size, yet | cannot remember ope
that would girth SO little as twenty feet
at hight Of two yards from the eartb's
surface, which Is the proper point for hor
izontal mea-ufe0ent. Hardly ooe is en-
tirely free from the marks of fire at its
root, while seyera! have been burned at
least have half through, and are so bol
lowed By FIRE that a tree eight feet in di-
ameter would probably find ample room
in its cavity. Aud, while many are still
hale aud thrifty, did not perceive sim
gle young one coming forward to take the
place of the decaylng patriarchs. | be-
lieve these trees Dow bear no seed cone
or nut, whatever they may have done in
Scipio or in Alexander's time, and that
there is DO known means Of propagating
their kind; and deeply regret that there
Is not, though starting a tree that would
come to It's maturity in not less than four
thousand years would seem rather slow
busiDess to the fs-t age in which it is our
fortune to live. Possibly, the Big Trees
are relic OF come by gone world-some
past geologic period-cotempo OF
the gigentic, luxuriant ferns whereof our
Mineral Coal is the resduum. am sure
they will be more priced and treasured
thousand years hence than now should
they, by extreme care and caution, be
preserved so long, and that thousands
will then visit them, over smooth and spa
cious roads, for every one who now tolls
over the rugged bridle-path by which l
reached them. Meantime, it is com
fort TO know that the Vsndals who bored
down with pump augers the largest OF the
Cslaverss trees, in order to make their
fortunes by exhibiting section of it's
bark at the East. have been heavy losers
by their villainous speculation.