The chronicle=news., 1913-03-22
FAMOUS CYPRESS
-- TREE IN MEXICO

| t1it vi s+AIAsAhs WIZ
southern Mexico. In peril from can
non fire and miskctry. stands tn"
oldest living thing in tn. world-,hc
famous cypress In the ehhrchyard In
tn" village Of Santa Maria del Tulc.
In tn" intcndency nf OaNa.a. Two
and onc-half l.nIucs east OF ihat city
Th" disturbances attending tn. In
smrr"ction against Alad"ro have post
pnn"d temporarily ,hc attainment OF
the supreme ambition held ny Dr.
Herman Won Schrcnk of ST. Louis.
which is 10 determine srientificaily
The approximate rfc Of this \csior
az the Who'll. vegetable kingdom.
Experts. Judging by tho Hi2an.lc
holc Of tn" Santa Maria del Tui" ,y-
press and by tho slow growth Of this
species. hav" estimated III" age Of
the patriarch of all trees to h. lee
tween 1000 and Gi"1 years
Th"H" figures are S.nercrinr to
tho Imagination. Taking til" loves;
computation. when the seed from
II which the tree sprlng fell upon tn"
Hearth King M.nscs was holding the
'irst reign In Egypt OF which we
iay" historic know lcdr" 5000 years
hcfor" III. birth az Christ. II was n
slender stripping :0o Years old when
chcorA drove his subjects with the
lash to- tn. inbbr OF building tho
great pyramid. II had reached n ius-
~ youth Of 800 years when the
iI"wbr"ws made their exodus from
III" lard of the Nile,
This living thing In tropical
America was fii"niiy building Itself
Ia It's present stature and ,iIor sew
"n centuries before Babylon reached
..t.
v"h. In tho NTH century before tho
| Christian crn. ~, y parYcnu COM
pared with thetOayaca cypress. The
earliest cun.iform inscription. which
archacoiogists hav" uncarth.d In As-
syria date back 10 only 1900 u. c.
and tho tree In Mexico which was to
he found In the dis,an, future on u
new aud unknS~n continent had
even then lived almost Ms many years
as separate the world today from the
final recall ~ sN~ Roman l-Eions
ron britain.
This iii fiouri.hing tree OF the
twentieth century had built Its an
Iual rings aud spread It's yearly fol-
inrc for ton centuries whom Abra-
ham tended his f'ocks and SOW n
vision of tho Jewish race that was TO
bc. u had lived 200" years before
David slew Goliath aud Solomon
erected the temple at Jerusalem.
IL the eye Of it, hoary antiquity
Troy. Athens. tho Macedonian King
dom and the Roman Empire were
mere upstairs Of time. The discovery
or America and the conquest OF MrS-
leo by Core, would seen. In iis life.
things OF only n few months ago.
The last scientific measurement of
tho Santa Maria del Tulc cypress
was made by Dr. Won Schrcnk in
oo?. ~ century after Humboldt dis
covered It. while on his famous tour
or equatorial America. Dr. Van
schrcni, found It's trunk four feet
eirth Of l2G feet.
An idea Of i,s vast age may he
obtained by comparing !, with n cy-
pr,ss described by Professor As;.
GRAY. which. although only ~ feet
in circumference. was go years old.
go slow il the growth Of the ryprcss
that this tree had required ncnrly
seven. centuries 10 attain n diamet nr
OF ~ inches.
Dr. Won Schrcnk. now an arbori-
cultural expert, with lobarotary AT
tile Missouri Botanical Garden In st.
,Louis. was In 1903 connected with
the United States forestry service.
While travelling through Southern
Mexico he determined to inspect the
Santa Maria del Tule cypress. Arriv-
ing at ;he village. he introduced him
isclf as an official OF the United
states Government who wished IA
examine the tampus tree. The mayor
welcomed him with elaborate cere-
mouy.
Or Won Schrcnk learned that the
tron was regarded as sacred in tho
| vicinity and that IL was guarded
night and tiay by two soldier scnti-
ncls. Escorted by as numerous ana
dignificd n rctinuc as the mayor
could muster. he marched to the lii
tie graveyard in which the cypress
standr.
BEFORE the broad and towering
bulk Of .his one life. which has per-
sisted without interruption since tho
date Of the dawning OF history. the
visitor halted in awe. Had the FOL
iagcd creature possessed eyes ana q
tongue, what treasures or irtorma-
ton could 1t have added to the an
nails OF man what revolutions in
Mexico 1t could have related, what
rises and falls Of monarchies and
civilizations in tropical America:
But flights of fancy gave way 10
immediate scientific duties. Author
titles on trees had declared the dis
covcry of the approximate age OF this
cypress TO he one of the most I'M
pcrtant problems in arboriculturn.
They hade expressed hope that the
next scientis. who should visit the
ancient living monument would not
fail to cumpletct he evidence cadcd.
The mayor of Santa Maria del
'Tulr, however. opposed n barrier OF
adaman, Measure the circumference
OF tho tree? Surely! Photograph it'
LnhCch Ncs. But to take an lnstril.