Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1909-07-08
Shphedshun Jefferson nCouny,W s.
The Autobiography of a Tree.

The Autobiography of a Tree.
A venerable yellow pine had been cut
down, says Mr.. Enos A. Mills, in "Wild
Life on the Rockies" II came to the earth
with tremendous force, and struck so hard
that it shattered the trunk thoroughly.
The sawmill man said that il would not
pay TO saw it into lumber, and that it
could rot on the spot. Receiving permiS-
sion TO do as he pleased with the remains,
Mr.. Mills at once began to cut and split
both the trunk and the limbs, and TO tran
scribe their strange records. Day after day
he worked. He dug the roots and dis
sected them, and with the aid OF magni-
fier studied the life OF the old tree.
found in the base of the stump ten
hundred and forty-Seyen rings OF growth.
AS the tree was cut down in 1903, its
birth probably occurred in the year $50.
Some Of the rings were thicker than the
others in places, also, two or three OF
them were together. This was the result
OF unfavorable weather-of drought or
cold. Burns, bites, bruises, torn bark and
broken arms all showed, and from them !
was able TO make out the old trees histo-
ry.
For nearly three centuries little had hap
pened to it but the ordinary accidents
from the crowding and pushing, and even
the falling of other trees. In the summer
of 1901, as made it out, a stroke OF light
ming tore a limb out of its round top and
shattered shoulder. During l34S it lost
two OF its largest arms. Perhaps the ac-
cumulations OF heavy snow did this.
In the lower section of Old Pines trunk
was saving off a portion, when the tool,
with a buzz-z-z! suddenly jumped, and
cutting away the wood carefully, | dis
covered a flint arrowhead, and then an
other. The outer ring which these ar
rows had pierced was the six hundred
and thirtieth, so that the year must have
been 1896.
The year that Columbus discovered
America Old Pine was a handsome giant,
with a round head held more than hun
dred feet above the EARTH The year l540
was a memorable one, for during that
year camping party built fire against
the inStep of the tree, and some one hack
ed it with an axe.
In 1862 the season was not regular. Al
ter the ring was well started, something,
perhaps a cold wave, for time checked
its growth, and so the wood for that year
reSembled two years growth; but the dif-
ference between this double or false ring
and a regular one was easily detected
discovered what seemed to be indica-
tions OF earthquake shocks from time to
time. In the year 1911, or early in 1872,
the tree must have experienced a violent
one, for the wood was checked and shat
tered, and at one point some distance
from the ground was bad break. That
quarter of the tree which faced the cliff
had suffered a rock bombardment. One
OF the stones, of about five pounds weight,
had remained embedded in the side OF the
tree.
In the year 1859 some one made an axe
mark on the old pine that may have been
intended for a trail-blaze, and in the same
year another fire had badly burned and
SCARED its ankle. wonder if some pros
pectors came this way in 1859 and made
camp by the tree.
While was working over the old pine
a Douglas squirrel which lived near by
used to stop every day in its busy har-
vesting of pine-cones TO look on and scold
me. AS | watched him placing his cones
in hole in the ground under the pine
needles, | wondered if one OF his cones
would remain there uneaten, TO germinate
and expand ever green into the air, and
become a noble giant and live as long
and as useful a life as old pine. ! found
myself trying to picture the scenes in
which this tree would stand when the
birds came singing back from the south
land in the spring-time of the year 1000.