The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1914-05-23

temporarily the attainment of the su-
preme ambition held by Dr. Herman Schrenk
of ST Louis. which is to determine scientifically
the approximate OF this nestor OF the whole
vegetable kingdom.
Experts. judging by the gigantic bole OF the
Santa Maria del Tule cypress and by the slow
growth of this species, have estimated the age
OF the patriarch OF all trees be between 5000
and 5000 Years
These figures staggering to the magiua.
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 have historic know ledge
1000 years before the birth OF Christ 1t was
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 l,500 years when the Hebrews
made their exodus from the land of the Nile
This living thing in tropical America was 81
lently building itself to its present stature and
vigor centuries before Babylon reached It's
greatest splendor. Ancient Nineyeh. in the ninth
century before the Christian parvenu
compared with the OaXaca cypress. The earliest
cuneiform inscriptions which archeologists have
unearthed in Assyria date back to only 1900 B. c.
and the tree in Mexico which to arise in
the distant future on a new and unknown conti-
nent had then lived almost as many years
as separate the world today from the final recall
OF the Roman legons from Britain.
This still fourishing tree OF the twentieth cen
tury had built its annual rings and spread its
yearly foliage for centuries when Abraham
tended his hocks and saw vision of the Jewish
race that was 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 upstarts OF time. The discovery Of
America and the conquest OF Mexico by Cortez
would seem, in its life, things OF only few
months ago.
The last scientific measurement OF the Santa
Maria del Tu!e cypress made by DR.
Schrenk in 1903, century after Humboldt dis
covered it while on his famous tour of the equa-
torial America. DR.. Won Sch-enk found that
Its trunk. four feet from the ground. had the
astounding grth of 126 feet
An idea of its age may be obtained by
comparing it with cypress described by Prof,
Asa Gray. which. although only IA feet in cir
cumference. $40 years old. SO slow is the
growth OF the cypress that this tree had required
nearly seven centuries to attain diameter OF
81 inches
DR. Won Schrenk, arboricutural expert
with a laboratory the Missouri botanical gar
den in ST. Louis in 1908 connected with the
United states forestry service. While travelling
through southern Mexico he determined to in
spect the Santa Maria del Tule cypress. Arriving
the village. he introduced himself official
OF the United States government who wished to
examine the famous tree The mayor welcomed
him with elaborate ceremony.
Dr Won Schrenk learned that the tree
regarded sacred in the vicinity and that it
was guarded night and day by two soldier sent!-
nels Escorted by numerous and dignfed
retinue the mayor could muster. he marched
the little graveyard in which the cypress
stands
Before the broad and towering bulk of this
life, which has persisted without interruption
since the date OF the dawning of history. the visi
halted In Had the foliaged creature pos
sessed eyes and tongue, what treasures OF in
formation could 1t have added to the annals Of
man,
But flights OF fancy gave way to immediate sci
entifc duties. Authorities trees had declared
the discovery Of the approximate age OF this
cypress to be of the most important problems
in arboriculture, They had expressed hope
that the scientist who should visit the
cient living monument would not fail to complete
the evidence needed.
The mayor of Santa Maria del Tule, however,
opposed a barrier OF adanlant. Measure the cir
culnference of the tree Surely. Photograph it,
Indeed yes. But take instrument and bore
from the trunk plug two feet deep and half an
inch in diameter? Horrors,
In vain DR.. Won Schrenk urged that this
pertinent had been made hundreds of times with
out damage to trees. and that by counting the
rings shown the plug he could learn the trees
average rate OF growth and thus solve one of
the great scientific problems of the world The
Ct,