The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-06-01
BIG TREE SECRETS
EXPLAINED In BOOK
Growth Rings in Redwesds Show
Same Curves a. Those IN
80 Asia Minor.

In the days Of the Prophet Elijah sore
famine afflicted the land of Palestine. No
rain fell. the brooks ran dry, and dire
distress prevailed. Go through the land"
said King Ahab to the Prophet Obadiah.
unto all the fountains of water and unto
all the brooks; persdventure We may
find grass and save the horses and the
mules alive, that We lose not all the
beasts" When Obadiah went forth in
search Of forage he fell in with his chief.
Elijah. and brought him 10 Ahab, who
greeted him as the troubier Of Israel
Then Elijah prayed for rain, according to
the Bible story, and the famine was
stayed. From this famine In Palestine,
some SO years before Christ. to the for
ests of the Sierra Nevadas. in the
twentieth century. Is far cry, but the
connecting link between the past and the
present. between the ancient East and the
modern West. Is found in the big trees
of California. the huge species known as
Sequel Washingtoniana-
In a publication entitled The Secret of
the Big Trees" by Ellsworth Huntington.
just placed on sale by the Superintendent
of Documents, Washington. d. c., IL Is
shown that the growth rings In the big
trees of California indicate that in general
the same tcQucICc VI CllI1duC Changes
took place in California and Asia Minor.
Curves indicating climatic conditions in
California and Asia Minor show a re-
markable resemblance between the two
regions. The curves begin with the epoch
Of the Trojan War, about 100 B. c. There
both curves dip very low, indicating an
epoch Of sudden severe desiccation. That
particular period, historians tell us. was
one of the most chaotic in all history.
TIL. g. T.
pears In both curves. Apparently at that
time the climate did not become extremely
dry. nothing like so bad as II had been
a few hundred years earlier during the
twelfth century. but there was rather q
distinct falling of In the amount of rain
fail as compared with the uncommonly
good conditions of the pkceding century.
About seven hundred years before Christ
both curves stand high In the day when
the Greeks were laying the foundation Of
their future greatness and the empires of
Mesopotamia were at their height. Then
comes pronounced falling of, with q
recovery three or four hundred years be-
fore Christ. another decline eliminating
200 b C., and q recovery reaching a high
point about 50 q. c. The time OF Christ,
the great era OF universal peace under the
sway Of Rome. was apparently an epoch
Of favorable climate, time Of abundant
rain and consequent good crops in all the
countries around the Mediterranean Sea
and eastward In Asia. as well as IN Cali
fornia- Next comes q long period OF de-
cline eliminating six or seven centuries
after the time OF Christ. No period In
all history, save that which centers about
100 b. c., was more chaotic: and that
early period also appears to have been q
time OF greatly diminished rainfall.
This publication. which may be purchas-
ed from the Superintendent of Documents.
Government Printing once. for cents.
gives q detailed account Of the reasons
an dthe work that led to the conclusions
In the Yosemite. Sequoia. and General
Grant National Parks