Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1878-12-25
The Big Trees or California.

In all that land of wonders. the State
o. California. there is nothing more
marvellous than what are known as the
Biz Trees. II is not surprising that
when they were first discovered BY a
California hunter. his oyn companions
refused to believe his story nut for
many years now, travellers from all
parts of the world nave visited them.
accurate measurement aud DhotO-rap IS
have been taken. and slice from the
fallen trunk of one has even been
brought, in pieces, aid set up in a
worlds fair. The name of the Big
Trees in Scquoia-gigm5ea. Seq'toia was
the name OF famous old ludau unter.
Giqantea means gigantic. The are a
variety OF Cedar. and are worthy preth
ern of the ancient Cedars of Lebanon.
Bunker Hill Monument is 22l teet
high. and thirty leet across the base
The largest Of the Great Trees no"
standing, as far as has yet been dis
covered. the Mother of the Forest. II
is called is 800 feet nigh. aud ninety
feet round at the base. The Father
OF the Forest, whose mighty form lies
PROSTATE en- the ground. must have
been 435 feet high-uearly twice a
nigh As Bunker Hill Monument--and lie
teet IN circumference al the base.
II is very hard TO get full idea %
what these figures mean.
A writer who has seen the Big Tree
slv~s this description, to help cur mag
nation: Suppose TIE tree ttllcn at the
gable Of IN ordinary two story house
You wish 10 cross bl d plank lalt
from ,onr root toO the upper side OF tli'
fallen trunk. That plank would per
crptibly slope up from your rOot-peak
Through another trer. also fallen. am
nolloN [prnbably rom bunin.l from
cud to end. our whole party "n horse
back charged at iull 'roi, tor d distance
Vi one hundred and lily feet
In 1885. one Of the largest OF th'
trees VA, cut down IL work ot twenty
live days Tor dive mcu.
This gave all opportunity or hnlln-
out now old II was. b, counting the
rin.s. Perhaps you know that every
,eara Tree grows. it a.! Is ncw rIns o'
new wood round It's trunk Inside la,
bark, which sdrtche, and grOws Il
over 1t. When Il tree i, cut down, thes'
rill.s can be EASILY seen, and bl hell
Ola microscope, can all be counted -
Their mumb,r. YOU ~lll plainly under.
>taud. must tell the Tree age cX'ctl,
Nearly 1900 rlng, nave bccu ,o.:ntrd III
The largest Of tle fdilei trees. ana IA
nlu>t. therefore. bc nearl, 1900 years
old. T~elye hundred years before tm
blyth of Christ, Two hundred ears be-
lore Solomon sent Tor hened cedar from
Lebanon TO bull the temple OF the
Lord i'm Jerusalem, far away IN the
t rtlle soil OF this that We call the neE
world. the little tender shoot had started
that was TO arow into this mishtlest oI
all growths.
Nine groves Of these goodly cedar'
have us yet been discovered. The bss'
kuoNn are the Caleycrs aud Marlp"ss
.roycs. In the former, thcre are ,20l
Or 300 Il hundred Of them being ovel
twenty five feet in diameter at the base
There is one forest Of them three o.
lour square niles in extent; and recen
/ disuu, civ. OF oung groves prove tina
the Biz Trees are not doomed TO pas
AVA, III the present generation, bu
will a>tonish the dwellers on earth to
thousands Of years to come. perhaps d
long rs the earth itself shall last.