Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1914-06-11


temporarily the attainment of the su-
preme ambition held by Dr. Herman Won Schrenk
OF st. Louis which is to determine scientifically
the approximate age of this nestor of the whole
vegetable kingdom
Experts, Judging by the gigantic bole of the
Santa Maria del Tue cypress, and by the slow
growth of this species, have estimated the age
of the patriarch of all trees to be between 5000
and 5000 years
These figures are staggering to the magma
ton. Taking the lowest computation when the
seed from which the tree sprang fell upon tho
earth King Menes holding the first reign in
Egypt, of which we have historic knowledge
1000 years before the birth of Christ. 1t was a
slender STRIPPING 200 years old, when Cheops
drove his subjects with the lash to the labor of
building the great Pyramid. 1t had reached a
lusty youth of 1900 years when the Hebrews
made their exodus from the land of the Nile.
This living thing in tropical America was ST.
lently building itself to Its present stature and
vigor seven centuries before Babylon reached it's
greatest splendor Ancient Nineveh In the ninth
century before the Christian era, was parvenu
compared with the Oaxaca cypress. The earliest
cuneiform inscriptions which Psychologists have
nnearthed in Assyria date back to only 1900 B. c.
and the tree in Mexico which to arise in
the distant future and unknown CONT
nent had even then lived almost many years
separate the world today from the final recall
OF the Roman legions from Britain.
This still 1ourtshing tree of the twentieth
tury had built its annual rings and spread its
yearly foliage for ten centuries when Abraham
tended his focks and vision of the Jewish
race that to be. 1t had lived 1000 years
before David slew Goliath and Solomon erected
the temple at Jerusalem
In the eye of its hoary antiquity, Troy, Athens,
the Macedonian kingdom and the Roman empire
were mere upstairs of time. The discovery OF
America and the conquest of Mexico by Cortez
would seem. in its life, things of only a few
months ago.
The last scientific measurement of the Santa
Maria del Tule cypress was made by DIR.
,Schrenk in 1909 century after Humboldt dis
covered it while on his famous tour of the equa-
toral America. DR.. Won Schrenk found that
its trunk. four feet from the ground. had the
astounding girth of 126 feet
An idea of it's vast age may be obtained by
comparing it with cypress described by Prof
Asa Gray which, although only IA feet In cir
conference, was $40 years old So slow Is the
growth of the cypress that this tree had required
nearly centuries to attain a diameter of
81 inches.
DR.. Won Schrenk. now an arboricultural expert
with a laboratory at the Missouri botanical gar
den In st. Louis in 1903 connected with the
United States forestry service. While travelling
through southern Mexico he determined to in
epect the Santa Maria del Tule cypress. Arriving
at the village he introduced himself an official
or the united states government VINO. WlSheQ 10
examine the famous tree. The mayor welcomed
him with elaborate ceremony.
DR.. Won Schrenk learned that the tree was
regarded as sacred in the vicinity and that 1t
was guarded night and day by two soldier senti-
nels. Escorted by as numerous and dignfed a
retinue as the mayor could muster, he marched
to the little graveyard in which the cypress
stands
Before the broad and towering bulk OF this
one life which has persisted without interruption
since the date of the dawning of history, the visi
tor halted in awe. Had the foliaged creature pos
sessed eyes and tongue, what treasures of in
man!
But fights of fancy gave way to immediate sci
enti1c duties Authorities trees had declared
The discovery of the approximate age OF this
cypress to be of the most important problems
In arboricuture. They had expressed a hope
hat the next scientist who should VISIT the an
,ient living monument would not fail TO complete
he evidence needed
The mayor of Santa Maria del Tule, however,
opposed a barrier of adamant. Measure the cir
,umference of the tree? Surely. Photograph it?
indeed, yes. But to take instrument and bore
rom the trunk plug two feet deep and half an
nch in diameter? Horrors
In vain Dr. Won Schrenk urged that this ex-
'eriment had been made hundreds of times with.
nut damage to trees and that by counting the
ings shown the plug he could learn the trees
verage rate of growth and thus solve one of
&c great scientific problems OF the world. The
mayor was all humility and submissiveness. Any.