Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-07-11
The Largest Tree in the World.

In Nelson's 'Scientifc and Technical
Reader" there is an account, abridged
from Hutching's "Scenes and Wonders
in California" of grove Of trees. This
grove is situated on the watershed be-
tween the San Antonio branch of the
Calaveras river and the north fork of the
Stanislaus river, in latitude 80 deg. and
longitude 100 deg. 10 min. west, at an
elevation of 1870 feet above the sea
level, and at distance of ninety seven
miles from Sacramento city and eighty
seven from Stockton. From specimens
of the wood, cones and foliage, Prof.
Lindley, England, considered it as form
ing new genus and named it "Wel-
ingtonia ggantea," but MIR. Lobb, who
had spent several years in California,
and had devoted himself to this branch
Of study, decided it to belong to the
"Taxodium family, and referred it to
the old genus "Sequoia sempervirens. !"
It is now generally known as Sequoia
gigantea, popularity called Yelling
tonia," and by Americans Washing
tonia gigantea." Within an area OF fifty
acres. there are 1902 large trees, twenty
Of which exceed twenty-five feet in di-
ameter, and are consequently over sew
enty-fve feet in circumference. The
Father Of the Forest, :" the largest Of
the group, lies PROSTATE and half buried
in the soil it measures at the root
no feet in circumference, is 200
feet to the first branch, and
from the trees which were broken
by it's fall is estimated to have been 435
feet in length; 800 feet from the roots it
is eighteen feet in diameter. The "Big
Tree was bored off some years since
with pump augers and then wedged
down the stump, which stands five and
half feet above the soil, is sound to
the core, and has been used as ball
room. This tree was. ninety-six feet In
circumference at the ground, and 302
feet high. The " Mother Of the Forest"
was stripped of its bark in 1854, for ex-
hibition in the New England States,
and now measures, without the bark,
eighty-four feet in circumference sew
enty feet up it is thirty-nine and a half
feet (also without the bark its height is
321 feet. The "Burnt Tree, - PROSTATE,
is estimated to have been 300 feet high
when standing, and ninety-seven feet in
circumference it measures thirty-nine
and half feet across the roots. "Her-
cules " is ninety-fve feet in circumfer-
ence, and 800 feet high. The "Pio-
neer's Cabin" broken off $50
feet from the ground, measures
thirty-nine feet in diameter, but,
owing to its being hollow, and its
surface uneven, its average is not quite
equal to that. Fourteen other trees av-
erage 291 feet high, and seventy eight
and half feet In circumference. 1t is
estimated from the number of concentric
layers of wood in these trees, each layer
of which is supposed to be the growth
of single year, that their age is almost
5000 years, considerably younger than
the one on exhibition. This grove is
also described in an amusing manner by
by T. w. Hinchlif, M. A., F. r. G. S.,
in his cover the Sea and Far Away, :"
1876. From his account, the trees oc-
cupy belt 3, 200 feet long and 700 feet
wide, which contains from ninety to 100
quisoias of the largest size; the highest
Sc 325 feet, and the diameter Of one
(Which I think must be the "Big Tree
is twenty. seven feet. At six feet from
the ground, he says, the survey party
counted the rings of this section, and
found the number to be 1,255; this
tree, he thinks, is one of the finest in