River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1895-01-10
NOTABLE NEW ENGLAND ELMs.
The Pride of Many villages as They Well
Deserve to BE.

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 a goodly number of these
grand old trees. 1t is eminently fitting
that to Wethersfield. 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 Wethersfield elm is the largest east
of the Rocky mountains II is a grand
old tree. and, in its rugged and sturdy
appearance, fit rival of the mighty
oak. The huge branches shoot
out from the trunk at a compare
lively short distance from the ground,
and each one of these branches is large
enough to make a respectable tree by
itself The circumference of the trunk
8 feet above the ground is 30 feet and /
incF. Six feet up, coming to what
m ght be called the waist of the tree,
the circumference is &c feet inch. and
at a height of feet the circumference
attains its largest girth at S2ls feet.
The circumference of the five main
branches range from IL to Is feet.
Measuring around the roots of the tree,
at a point where they extend into
the ground, we have the enormous cir
Gle of IS + feet. An area 464 feet in cir
conference is covered by the vast out
spreading limbs. Until two wears ago
the area was 49, feet. but furious ice
storm Topped off some of the outer
branches
In Windsor, the oldest Connecticut
settlement. are several grand old elms,
and there is one which, il is claimed. is
trife larger than the Wethersfield
elm. But this statement has never
been conclusively 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
cnInference, and the topmost branches
rise many feet above the mmits of
the other trees in the vicinity. 1t is
plainly visible at a considerable dis
tance. 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-
~ of form are concerned, stands on a
fine old farm in Canaan, Conn. This il
way up in the northwestern part of the
state, very near the Massachusetts
boundary line. The locality is lonely
it would seem as though nature. in
making all the surrounding country so
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 l.
about three-quarters of a mile from
| the railroad station, and a short dis
lance off from the road to Ashley
Falls. 1t is plainly visible, however,
from the railroad train, and has
elected general admiration from hun
dreds of travellers. King I. sheldon
of Winsted. has Travelled nearly ali
over New England and seen scores Of
beautiful trees. hut he has no hesitan-
cy in saying that this Canaan elm is
by far the handsomest, the most grace
full and symmetrical tree he has ever
seen. To lover of grand trees this
elm IS worth making special journey
to see. In the summer its limbs,
spreading ont from the trunk. appear
lost, after ascending few feet, in a
dense mass of rich foliage, while the
lower branches, STOPPING down as if
to touch the earth, and gently sway
ing in the breeze, seem to invite one
to find quiet and repose beneath the
generous and refreshing shade. So
symmetrical is it on all sides that the
outward contour forms almost com
plete. semi-circle from the ground clear
over its summit.-N. Y. Times