The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1895-02-06
noTAsLE NEW ENGLAND ELMs.
The Pride OF Many villages as They Wen
Deserve to lie.


NOTABLE NEW ENGLAND ELMs.
The Pride OF Many villages as They Wen
Deserve to he.
The elms of New England have al
ways been famous, both for their size
and beauty, and there is hardly town
or village, however small, that does
not possess goodly number OF these
grand old trees. 1t is eminently fitting
that to Wethersfold, which, next to
Windsor, is the earliest settlement in
Connecticut. should belong the honor
of possessing the Oldest as well as the
largest elm in the state. More than
that, those who profess to be familiar
with New England's big trees say that
the Wethersfeld elm is the largest east
of the Rocky mountains. 1t is a grand
old tree. and, in it's rugged and sturdy
appearance, a iit rival of the mighty
oak. The huge branches shoot
out from the trunk at compara-
lively short distance from the ground,
and each one of these branches is large
enough to make respectable tree by
itself. The circumference of the trunk
. feet above the ground is So feet and !
inch. Six feet mp, coming to what
might be called the waist OF the tree,
the circumference is 26 feet inch, and
at q height of 8 feet the circumference
attains its largest girth at SEA feet.
The circumference of the five main
branches range from ii to 10 feet.
Measuring around the roots Of the tree,
at q point where they extend into
tine ground, we have the enormous cir
Gle of 5s1s feet. An area AGA feet in cir
conference is covered by the vast out
spreading limbs Until two years ago
the area was 4s7 feet, but furious ice
storm Topped of some of the outer
branches.
In. Windsor, the Oldest Connecticut
settlement, are several grand old elms,
and there is one which, it is claimed, is
a trifie larger than the Wethersfsld
elm. But this statement has never
been conclusiyely proved.
The little village of Sheffield, Mass,
possesses an elm which has been IA
nous for many years, both for its size
and the towering sweep Of its branches.
Its trunk Is about sixteen feet in cir
conference, and the topmost branches
rise many feet above the SUBMITS OF
the other trees in the vicinity. 1t is
plainly visible at a considerable dis
lance, and persons in that portion OF
the Berkshire hills seldom fail to see
the famous Sheffield elm.
One of the grandest elms In all New
England. so far as beauty and symmet.
ry of form are concerned, stands on a
fine old farm in Canaan. Conn. This Is
way up in the northwestern part of the
state. very near the Massachusetts,
boundary line. The locality is lonely
one, being in the Berkshire hills, and
II would seem as though nature, in
making all the surrounding country SC
delightful, had put forth her best en-
ergies to produce trees which should
not only harmonic with, but add
to the universal beauty of the
landscape. This Canaan elm il
about thres-quarters Of a mile from
the railroad station, and q short dis
lance of from the road to Ashley
Falls. 1t Ia plainly visible, however,
from the railroad train, and has
ELECTED general admiration from hun
dreds of travellers. King T. Sheldon
Of winstsd, has travelled nearly all
over New England and seen scores o.
beautiful trees, but he has no hesitan
cy in saying that this Canaan elm il
By far the handsomest. the most grace
full and symmetrical tree he has evel
seen. To lover Of grand trees THU
elm is worth making special journe.
TO see. In the summer its limbs
spreading out from the trunk, appear
lost, after ascending q few feet, In 1
dense mass Of rich foliage, while tn,
lower branches, STOPPING down as i
10 touch the earth, and gently sway
ing in the breeze, seem 10 invite on,
10 find quiet and repose beneath th,
generous and refreshing shade. 81
symmetrical Is IL on all sides that III,
outward contour forms almost com
plete semi-circle from the ground cleal
over ia summit--N. Y. Times.