The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-02-22
BEGAN GROWING
SIS YEARS B. G.
AGESOF CALIFORNIA; BIG RED
WOOD TREES KNOWN.
Professor Dudley of Leland Stanford
University Addresses Plea to Con-
gress for Preservation of Calaveras
Forests-Remarlkabl Size and vi
tality - Important to Irrigation
Works.
From The Journal Bureau, Colorado Building,
Washington.

From The Journal Bureau, Colorado Building.
Washington.
Washington Feb. 22.---After much
conjecture, the age Of the big redwood
trees of California has been deter
mined scientifically by the botanist of
the Leland Stanford university, Profess
sor William r. Dudley.
The most aged which he has discov
cred began it's existence 525 B. c., aud
is now 2,425 years old. This big fell
low was cut off the private claim of
the Sanger Mining company in Con-
verse basin, Fresno county, California,
at an elevation in the Sierras Of 5000
feet above sea level. 1t had reached
height of nearly 800 feet.
Professor Dudley visited the redwood
forests, counted the rings of the felled
trees land made other expert studies of
their histories as recorded in the
wood. In a communication to the
United States senate of the results of
his studies. he urges that the big trees
| be bought and preserved for sclent1f1c
purposes by the federal government
and says:
| remarkable recuperative power fol-
| lowing an injury was found after exam
| ination of the big redwood of the Con-
verse basin. The effects of certain tre-
| mendous forest fires occurring centuries
ago were registered in the trunks of these
/
by subsequent healthy growth. Among a
number of similar cases the most instruc-
| tive record Of these ancient forest fires
1 was observed In a. tree of moderate size
! about Is feet in diameter five feet from
! the ground. 1t was go feet in height and
i LII years old. 's.
This tree when felled had an enormous
| surface burn on one side thirty feet In
height and occupying eighteen feet of the
circumference of the tree; this was found
to have been due to a fire occurring 1r
A. D. 1897. The tree when cut, III 1900
had already occupied itself for lo3 years
in it's effort to repair this injury, its
method being the ingrowing of the new
tissues from each margin of the grea
black wound. When the tree was cut the
records of three other fires were revealed
Details are given to show the won
derful vitality and freedom from dis
ease and decay possessed by these
trees -
So long as these trees are not con-
trolled by the United States they are
not safe from destruction. Railroads
are now approaching them. Ma
chinery is in use quite adequate to the
destruction of the largest trees, aalc
they will be cut by lumbermens wher
it will pay. In closing his appeal fol
their preservation the professor says
Their preservation Is important t.
stream protection and to the irrigation
works contemplated for the San JOAQUIN
valley; nevertheless the unitarian pie;
is not here entered for the preserva ton il
asking for the purchase of the Calavera
groves
We ask it beca use the species is uniqu
1T is found in no other country, no othe
state, nowhere but in portion Of tn
Sierra Nevada range, and hence it is ap
propriate it should be under the contrC
of the nation. We ask it because tn
Calaveras trees are historically. by far
the most interesting of the big trees; be
, cause their preservation will afford tn
} highest and most innocent qualification t
the thousands of people who will visi
them and lastly, we believe their pres
} ervation will be most useful to the scien
} tifc observer of the future in his work O
problems in the origin and history G
, species. in clmatology. in the laws c
) growth.
,., .s.. w. W. Jermane.