V ISD 397 .S4 U5 1900 Copy 1 ^ REPORT BIG TREES OF OALIFOESIA. PREPARED IN THE DIVISION OF FORESTRY, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1 1> . 75404 CONTENTS I'age. Summary of facts about Big Trees 5 Introduction 7 General facts 8 First grove discovered 8 Discovery of other groves 8 General description and location of Big Tree groves 8 Calaveras, or "Mammoth " Grove 9 Stanislaus, or ' ' South Calaveras' ' Grove 9 Tuolumne Grove 9 Mariposa Grove 10 Fresno Grove 10 Kings River and Kaweah River Grove 11 Tule River Groves 11 Dinky and Merced Groves 11 North Grove 11 History and size of notable Big Trees 12 Calaveras or ' ' Mammoth ' ' Grove 12 Dead trees : 12 The Mother of the Forest 13 The Father of the Forest 13 Living trees - 14 Table of measurements . 15 Stanislaus, or " South Calaveras " Grove 16 Smith's Cabin 16 Mai-iposa Grove 17 Table of measurements 17 The beauty of Big Trees and their environment 18 Age of the Big Trees 19 Geologic history of the Big Tree 19 Natural rejiroduction of the Big Tree — 20 Botanical description of the Big Tree 21 Botanical nomenclature of the Big Tree 22 Introduction of Big Trees into cultivation 22 Ownership of Big Tree lands 22 State holdings 22 Government holdings 23 Private holdings " 23 Map showing Fresno and Tulare County holdings 23 Map showing location of all Big Tree groves 23 Location of Big Tree lands - 23 Lumbering the Big Trees 29 3 SUMMARY OF FACTS ABOUT THE BIG TREE. 1. The dimeusioiiH of the Big- Tree are uiiequaled. 2. The age of the Big Tree makes it the oldest living thing. 8. The majestic beauty of the Big Tree is unique and world-renowned, 4. It now exists only in ten isolated groves on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and nowhere else in the world. 5. The Mariposa Grove is to-day the only one of consequence which is completely protected. t). Most of the scattered groves of Big Trees are privately owned, and therefore in danger of destruction. 7. Lumbering is rapidly sweeping them off; 40 mills and logging companies are now at work wholly or in part upon Big Tree timber. 8. The southern groves show some reproduction, through which there is hope of perpetuating these groves; in the northei'n groves the species hardly holds its own. 9. The species represents a surviving prehistoric genus of trees once growing widely over the globe. 5 BIG TREES OF CALTF(3RNIA. INTRODUCTION. Before the glacial period the geiiits oi ]ng trees called Sequoia flourished widely in the temperate ;cone.s of three continents. There were iiiany species, and Europe. Asia, and America had each its share. But when the ice fields moved down out of the north the luxuriant vegetation of the age declined, and with it these multitudes of trees. One after another the difl^'erent kinds gave way. their remains became buried, and when the ice recedt>d just two species, the Big Tree and Redwood, survived. Both grew in California, each separate from the other, and each occupying, in comparison with its former territory, a mere island of space. As we know them now, the Redwood (Sequoia semperviren)i) lives only in a narrow strip of the coast ranges 10 to 30 miles wide, extending from just within the southern border of Oregon to the bay of Monterey, while the Big Tree {Se<2(io!(i. washi luj- tonlana) is found only in small groves scattered along the west slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, from the middle fork of the American River to the head of Deer Creek, a distance of 260 miles. The utmost search reveals but ten main groups, and the total number of sizable trees in these groups nmst be limited to figures in the thousands. It is, moreover, the plain truth that all the specimens which are remarkable for their size do not exceed 500. The Big Trees are unique in the world — the grandest, the largest, the oldest, the most majestically graceful of trees — and if it were not enough to be all this, they are among the scarcest of known tree species and have the extreme scientific value of being the best living repre- sentatives of a former geologic age. It is a tree which has come down to us through the vicissitudes of many centuries soleh" because of its superb qualifications. Its bark is often '2 feet thick and almost non- combustible. The oldest specimens felled are still sound at the heart, and fungus is an enemy unknown to it. Yet with all these means of maintenance the Big Trees have apparently not increased their range since the glacial epoch. They have only just managed to hold their own on the little strip of country where the climate is locally fa^'or- able. At the present time the only grove thoroughly safe from destruction is the Mariposa, and this is far from being the most interesting. Most of the other groves are either in process of, or in danger of, being logged. The very finest of all, the Calaveras Grove, with the biggest and tallest trees, the most uncontaminated surroundings, and practically all the literary and scientific associations of the species con- nected with it, has been purchased recently by a lumberman w^ho came 7 8 BIG TREES OF CALIFORNIA, into full possession on the 1st of April. 1000. The Sequoia and Gen- eral Grant National parks, which are supposed to embrace and give security to a large part of the remaining Big Trees, are eaten into by a sawmill each, and by private timber claims amounting to a total of 1,172.87 acres. The rest of the scanty patches of Big Trees are in a fair way to disappear— rin Calaveras, Tuolumne, Fresno, and Tulare counties, they are now disappearing — by the ax. In brief, the major- ity of the Big Trees of 'California, certainly the best of them, are owned by people who have every right, and in many cases every intention, to cut them into luml)er. GENEKAL FACTS. First Grove Discovered. The Calaveras Grove was the first one discovered, having l>een found in 1841 by John Bidwell, afterward candidate for member of Congress from California. But for some reason this discovery seems to have been generally credited to another person, as showni b_\ the following- story quoted from '"In the Heart of the Sierras," by J. M. Hutchings: In the spring of 1852, Mr. A. T. Dowd, a hunter, was employed Ijy the Union -Water Company, of ^Murphy's, Calaveras C'ounty, to supply the workmen engaged in the construction of their canal with fresh meat, from the large quantities of game running wild on the upper portion of their works. While engaged in this calling, "Tiaving wounded a grizzly bear, and while industriously pui'suing him, he suddenly came upon one of those immense trees. * * * Returning to camp, he there related the wonders he had seen, when his compan- ions laughed at him, and even questioned his veracity. -^ * * For a day or two he allowed the matter to rest ; submitting, with chuckling satis- faction, to their occasional jocular allusions to "his big tree yarn," but continued hunting as formerly. On the Sunday morning ensuing, he went out early as usual but soon returned * * * when he exclaimed, "Boj's, I have killed the large i. grizzly bear that I ever saw in my life. While I am getting a little .something to eat, you make every preparation for bringing him in; all had better go that can he spared, as their assistance will certainly be needed." Nothing loath, they were soon ready for the start. * * * On, on they hurried, with Dowd as their guide, through thickets and pine groves; crossing bridges and canyons, flats, and ravines, each relating in turn the adventures experienced, or heard of from companions, with grizzly bears, and other formidable tenants of the moun- tains, until their leader came to a halt at the foot of the immen.3e tree he haa seen, and to them had represented the approximate size. Pointing to its extraordinary diameter and lofty height, he exultingly exclaimed, "Now, boys, do you believe my big tree story? That is the large grizzly I wanted you to see. Do you now think it a yarn?" Discovery of Other Groves. Just how and when the other groves of Big Trees were found is dif- ficult to determine. As early as 1864 Professor Brewer, of Yale, and a party from the California Geological Survey visited the Calaveras and Mariposa groves and also several tracts in the region of Kings River, and by 1870 the majority of Big Trees had been located. The following account of the dili'erent groves, which is in the main accurate and complete, is taken from J. D. Whitney's " Yosemite Guide- Book" (1870): " - , Gener.\l Description and Location of Big Tree Groves. The Big Tree occurs exclusively in "groves" or scattered over limited areas, never forming groups by themselves, but always disseminated among a much larger number of trees of other kinds. These patches on which the Big Trees stand do not equal m Sen Doc. 393, 56th Cong., 1st Sess. Plate Calaveras Bis Tree Grove: Edge of Grove, showing the "Sentinels" and the Relative Height of other assocated forest trees. Sen Doc. 393, 56th Cong., 1st Sess. Plate II. Fig. 1. — Calaveras Big Tree Grove: Sperry'S Hotel from Entrance of Grove, with the "Sentinels" on Either Side. Fig. 2. — Calaveras Big Tree Grove, North Border : One of the largest Big Trees barked MANY Years ago for Exhibition Purposes ; Sugar Pine, Yellov^ Pine, and White Fir in view. Sen Drjc. 393, 56th Cong.. 1st Sess. Plate III. The "Grizzly Giant" in the Mariposa Big Tree Grove. 10 BIG TEEES OF CAHFUENIA. ber of trees counted. They stand mostly on the north slope of a hill, rather sheltered from the wind, and, so far as observed, are rather smaller than those of the Calaveras Grove. The largest sound tree measured was 57 feet in circumference at 3 feet from the ground. A stump so burned that only one-half remained was 23 feet in diameter, inside the bark at 3 feet from the ground. A single Big Tree stands in the woods by itself sijinewhere southwest of the Crane Flat Grove, and l)etween it and the INIereed. It is the only instance, so far as we know, of the occurence of this species solitary and alone. There is an almost entirely unexplored region between the Beaver Creek and the Crane Flat groves, and there may possibly be some more Big Trees existing there and not yet discovered.- It is about 20 miles, still in a southwesterly direction, from Crane Flat to the INIariposa Grove, and that region has been so thoroughly explored by the Survey, that there is no reason to suppose that any more of these trees will be found there. MA K I cos A (IM)VE. The Mariposa Grove is situated about Ui miles directly south of the Lower Hotel in the Yosemite Valley, and between 3 and 4 miles southeast of Clark's ranch, and at an elevation of about 1,500 feet abo\'e the last-named place, or of some 5,500 feet above the sea level. It lies in a little valley, occupying a depression on the back of a ridge which runs along in an easterly direction between Big Creek and the South Merced. One of the branches of the creek heads in the grove. The grant made by Congress is 2 miles square, and embraces, in reality, two dis- tinct or nearly distinct groves; that is to say, two collections of Big Trees between which there is an intervening space without any. The upper grove is in a pretty compact body, containing, on an area of 3,700 by 2,300 feet in dimensions, just 365 trees of the Sequoia giganlea of a diameter of 1 foot and over, besides a great num- ber of small ones. The lower grove, which is smaller in size and more scattered, lies in a southwesterly direction from the other, some trees growing quite high up in the gulches on the south side of the ridge which separates the two groves. The princijial trees associated with the Big Trees in this grove are the pitch and sugar pines, the Douglas spruce, the white fir (Picea grandig) [now ^I6(es concnior], and the ])astard cedar {Libocedrus decuririts). There are but very few of the young Big Trees growing within the grove, where probably they have been destroyed by fire. Around the base of several of the large trees on the outskirts of the grove there are small [natural] plantations of young Sequoias of all sizes up to 6 or 8 inches in diameter, but only a few as large as this. Those trees which are about 10 feet in diameter and entirely uninjured by fire, in the full symmetry of a vigorous growth of say 500 years, are, although not as stupen- dous as the older'giants of the forest, still exceedingly beautiful and impressive. The southern division of the Mariposa Grove, or Lower Grove, as it 'S usually called, is said to contain about half as many (182) trees as the one just described. They are much scattered among other trees, and do not, therefore, present as impos- ing an ajipearance as those in the other grove, where quite a large number can often be seen from one point. The largest tree in the lower grove is the one known as the "Grizzly Giant," which is 93 feet 7 inches in circumference at the ground, and 64 feet 3 inches at 11 feet above. (See Pi. III. ) Its two diameters at the base, as near as we could measure, were 30 and 31 feet. The calculated diameter at 11 feet above the ground is 20 feet, nearly. The tree is very much injured and decreased in size by burning, for which no allowance has been made in the above measurements. Some of the brani'hes of this tree are fully 6 feet in diameter, or as large as the trunks of the largest elms in the Connecticut Valley, of which Dr. Holmes has so pleasantly discoursed in the Atlantic Monthly. This tree, however, has long since passed its prime, and has the battered and war-worn appearance conveyed by its name. FRESNO (UIOVE. The next grove south of the Mariposa is one in Fresno County, about 14 miles southeast of Clark's, and not far from a conspicuous point called Wammelo Eock. Mr. Clark has described this grove, which we had not visited, as extending for above 2i miles in length by from 1 to 2 in breadth. He has counted 500 trees in it, and believes the whole number to be not far from 600. The largest measured .81 feet in circumference at 3 feet from the ground. No other grove of Big Trees has been discovered to the southeast of this along the slope of the Sierra, until we reach a point more than 50 miles distant from the Fresno Grove. Here, between the Kings and Kaweah rivei-s, is by far the most extensive collection of trees of this species which has yet been discovered in the State. BICi TKEES OK CALlFOKiSflA. 11 KIN(iS UIVEK AM) KAWKAII lUVKH (iI{()VK. Thin belt of treey, for ^rove it can hardly la' ralleil, oceans about 'AO niiU-s north- northeast of Visalia, on the tributarie!-; of the Kings and Kaweah rivers, and on the divide between. They are scattered over the sloi)es and on tlie valleys, but are larger in the dei)ressions, where the soil is more moist. Along the trail which runs from Visalia to the Big Meadows, the belt is 4 or 5 miles wide, and it extends over a vertical range of abjut 2,500 feet; its total length is as much as S or 10 miles, and maybe more. The trees are not collected together into groves, but are scattered through the forests, and associated with the other species usually occurring at this altitude in the Sierra. They are most al)undaiit at from t>,000 to 7,000 feet elevation above the sea level. Their nundjer is great; probably thousands might be counted. Their size, however, is not great, the average being from 10 to 12 feet in diameter, and but few exceeding 20 feet; but smaller ones are very numerous. One tree, which had been cut, had a diameter of 8 feet, exclusive of the Irnrk, and was 377 years old. The largest one seen was near Thomas's ]Mill; this had a cii-cumference of 106 feet near the ground, no allowance being made for a portion which was burned away at the base. When entire the tree may have been 10 or 12 feet more in circumference. At about 12 feet from the ground the circumference was 75 feet. Its height was 276 feet. The top ^\•as dead, however, and, although the tree was symmetrical and in good growth, it had passed its prime. Another tree, which had fallen, and had been burned hollow, was so large, tliat three horsemen could ride abreast into the cavity for a distance of 30 feet, its height and width being about 11 feet. At a distance of 70 feet the diameter of the cavity- was still as much as 8 feet. The l)ase of this tree could not be easily measured, but the trunk was burned through at 120 feet from the ground, and at that point had a diameter (exclusive of the bark) of 13 feet 2 inches ; and at 169 feet from its base the tree was 9 feet in diameter. The Indians stated that a still larger tree existed to the north of Kings River. This tree should be looked up and carefully measured; unfortunately, it was not in the jwwer of our party to do this. All through these forests there are numerous young Big Trees, of all sizes, from the seedling upward, and at Thomas's Mill they are cut up for lumber in a manner quite at variance with the oft-rei)eated story of the exceptional character of the spe- cies. Prostrate trunks of old trees are also numerous ; some of them nnist have lain for ages, as they were nearly gone, while the wood is very durable. ITLK KIVICI! (iltoVES. The only other groves yet discovered are those on the Tule River, of which there are two, one on the north and the other on the sotith branch of that stream. They are 15 miles apart, and the most northerly of the two is about 30 miles from the grove last described. As the intervening region has been but little explored, it is not at all unlikely that more of the Big Trees- may l)e found along the fork of the Kaweah which intersects this region with its numerous branches. We are not aware that these two Tule groves were known previous to their discovery by Mr. D'Heureuse, one of the topographers of the Geological Survey, in 1867; at least, no notice of them had ever appeared in print. The number of trees in these groves is quite large, as they are scattered over several square miles of area. The largest of them were said by I\Ir. D'Heureuse to be aV)out the size of the largest in the other groves. DINKY AXI) MEKCEl) GROVES. Veiy little feliable information is obtainable at present concerning these g-roves. The Dinky Grove is located on Dinky Creek, one of the north tributaries of Kings River, and is said to have been acci- dentally discovered ])y two hunters in the early seventies. It is also said to contain only a small niunber of trees. The Merced Grove is a small group located on and near the head- waters of the Merced River, and reported to contain less than 100 trees. THE NORTH (iROVE. This can hardly be called a grove, but is so named for uniformity of designation with other larger groups. It comprises six living trees, 12 BIG TREES OF CALIFORNIA, and i,s located in southern Placer County, on a tributaiy stream of the middle fork of the American River. The elevation of the grove is 5,100 feet al)ove sea level. The grove is about !^0 miles southeast of Red Point Mine, on the Forest Hill Divide, and about 15 miles west of the mining camp, Michigan Blurt", from both of which points the trees can be reached by trail. The grove is about TO miles north of the Calaveras or "Mammoth" Big Tree Grove. This grove is said to have been discovered by an old miner, Joe Matlock, in 1855. It appears also to have been long known to the set- tlers of the region, as shown by the dates 1860 to 1890 cut into the smooth-barked alders near the Big Trees. But the first authentic account of this grove was published l)y W. W. Price in the January issue of the Sierra Club Bulletin for 1893. Of the six trees comprising the grove, only two are of large size. These are respectively 220 and 240 feet high and 12 and 10 feet in diameter at -t feet from the ground. The other trees are about 180 feet high and 8 feet in diameter. A few small Big Trees in this grove have been lilown down, and one quite large tree is said to have gone down subsequent to 1885. About 200 feet of the trunk is still intact. The full height is not known, as the top of the tree was broken ofl' before the trunk fell. The diameter at the roots of the tree was 20 feet. One other large dead tree, 28 feet in diameter, is said to have been blown down in 1855, but the trunk has since disappeared — probably by forest tires, which have frequently raged through the region. HiSTOKY AND SiZE OF XoTABLK BiG TrEES. CALAVERAS OR " MAMMOTH " (iROVE. The history and figures showing the size of notable Big Trees in this grove occur in the following extracts. dkah trees. In 1853 one of the largest trees was cut down. It is said to be the original tree discovered by John Bidwell (or by A. T. Dowd. as the more current story has it). Its diameter across the solid wood, after the bark was removed (and whicli was from 15 to 18 inches in thickness) , is 25 feet, although the tree was cut off 6 feet above the ground. However incredible it iBay appear, on July 4, 1854, the writer' formed one of a cotillion party of 32 persons dancing ui)on this stump, in addition to which the musicians and lookers-on numbered 17, making a total of 49 occupants on its sur- face at one time. The accompanying sketch was made at that time, and, of course, before the present pavilion was erected over it. There i.s no more srikiugly con- vincing jtroof, in anv grove, of the immense size of the Big Trees, than this stump. [See PI. IV.] This tree was 302 feet in height, and, at the ground, 96 feet in circumference, before it was disturbed. Some sacrilegious vandals, from the motive of making its exposi- tion "pay," removed the bark to the height of 30 feet; and afterwards transported it to Englaiid, where it was formed into a room; Ijut was afterwards consumed by fire with the celebrated Crystal Palace at Kensington, England. This girdling of the tree very naturally brought death to it ; but even then its majestic forni nuist have perpetually taunted the belittled and sordid spirits that caused it. It is, however, but an act of justice to its present proprietor, Mr. James L. Sperry,^ to state that, ^ J. M. Hutchings in "In the Heart of the Sierras." ■■^ Mr. Sperry has recently sold this grove to a lumberman, as stated in the intro- duction. Bid TREES OV CALIFOKNIA. 1 .'^ altiiougli lie li;is been tlic dwirm- of lli(> ifi'ovc for over twenty j'cars, tliat act ot' vaiidal- i.siu was iierpetrated befort' lie imrchaseil it, y an earthquake. Thus this noble monarch of the forest was dethroned after "braving the battle and the breeze" for nearly two thousand years. Verily, how little real \eneration does the average man possess. TJir Moilirr of the Foreftt. — In this gi'ove once stood a most beautiful tree, graceful in form and unexcelled in proportions; hence (as in human experience) those very qualities at once became the most attractive to the eyes of the unfeeUng spoliator. This bore the queenly name of The ^Mother of the Forest. In the summer of 1854, the bark was stripped from its trunk, by a Mr. George Gale, for purposes of exhibition in the East, to the height of 116 feet. (See PI. Il, tig. 2.) It now measures in circumference, at the base, without the bark, 84 feet; 20 feet from base, 69 feet; 70 feet from base, 43 feet 6 inches; 116 feet from base, and up to the bark, 89 feet (> inches. The full circumference at base, including bark, was 90 feet. Its height was .321 feet. The average' thickness of bark was 11 inches, although in places it was about 2 feet. T^his tree is estimated to contain 537,000 feet of sound inch lumber. To the first l>ranch it is 137 feet. The small black marks upon the tree indicate points where 25-inch auger holes were bored, and into these rounds were inserted, by which to ascend and descend while removing the bark. At different distances upward, especially at the top, numerous dates and names of visitors have been cut. It is contemplated to construct a circular stairway around this tree. When the bark was being removed, a young man fell from the scaffolding — or rather out of a Average height, ;!()5 feet; average diameter, 20 feet. "Granite State." ) "The Old Republican." "Henry Clay." "Andrew Jackson." ' ' Vermont. ' ' "Empire State," 94 feet in circumference. "Old Dominion." "George Washington." "Uncle Tom's Cabin." "The Beauty of the Forest." The following- table gives additional measurements for some of the a})Ove-named Big- Trees in the Calaveras drove. These figiu'es are believed to be conservative tmd to express more nearly the actual sizes of the trees named: Height and diameter measurements of trees i« t}ie Calaveras frrove.^ Name of tree. Diameter 6 feet above Height. ground. Feet. Feet. 14.3 325 12.7 319 19.4 315 15 307 16.6 283 13.1 284 15.3 282 15 280 14.6 275 16.2 274 15.6 272 15.9 271 9.6 269 14 268 8.6 266 12.7 265 13.7 265 16.2 261 9.6 262 1.5.3 262 10.8 261 16.2 256 13.7 258 10.8 252 10.5 250 1.5.9 250 12.4 249 9.9 246 11.8 246 8.6 239 9.9 231 Kcj-stonc State General ,la( kson Mother cii tlie Forest (without bark) Daniel Webster T. Starr King Richard Cobden Pride of the Forest Henry Clay Bay State James King of William Sentinel Dr. Kane Arborvitse Queen Abraham Lincoln Maid of Honor Old Vermont Uncle Sam Mother and Son (Mother) Three Graces (highest) William Cullen Brvant U. S. Grant " George Washington General Scott Henry Ward Beecher California Uncle Tom's Cabin Beauty of the Forest J. B. McPher.son Florence Nightingale James Wadsworth Elihu Burritt ' From J. D. Whitney's " Yosemite Guide-Book." For a readier conception of size, Mr. Whitney's circumference measurements are here converted into equivalent diam- eters. 18 T5Ta TEEES OF CALIFORNIA. These mea.suivnieiils will have a new value when it is renieinl)erod that they are now nearly 40 ye:trs old — old enough to make remeasure- nient very interesting' for eouiparison. STAXISI.AfS OR "south CALAVERAS " GROVE. This grove contains i.o8<> Big Trees, ranging in diameter from 1 foot to 34 feet. ' . Mr. Hutchings deseri):)es the trees of note in this grove as follows: The large number of these immense trees, from 30 feet to over 100 feet in circum- ference, at the ground, and in almost everj' position and condition, would become almost bewildering were I to present in detail each and everyone; a few notable examples, therefore, will suffice as rei^resentatives of the whole. (See PI. V.) The first Big Tree that attracts our attention, and which is seen from the ridge north of the Stanislaus River, is the "Columbus," a magnificent specimen, with three main divisions in its branches, and standing alone. Passing this we soon enter the lower end of the South Grove' and arrive at the " New York," 104 feet in cir- cumference, and over 300 feet in lieight. Near to this is the " Corresjiondent," a tree of stately proportions, named in honor of the " Knights of the Quill." The "Ohio" measures 103 feet in circumference, and is 311 feet in height. The "Massachusetts" is 98 feet, with an altitude of 307. Near to a large black stump, above this, stands a tree that is 76 feet in circumfer- ence, that has been struck by. lightning, 170 feet from its base; where its top was shivered into fragments, and hurled in all directions for over 100 feet from the tree; the ]nain stem being rent from top to bottom, the apex of this dismantled trunk l)eing 12 feet in diameter. The "(Jrand Hotel" is Imrned out so badly that nothing l)ut a mere living shell is left. This will hold 40 persons. Then comes the "Canal Boat ;" which, as its name implies, is a prostrate tree; the upper side and heart of which have been burned away, so that the remaining portion resembles a huge l)oat; in the bottom of which thousands of young Big Trees have started out in life; and, if no acc-ident l^efalls them, in a thousand or two years hence, they may be respectable- sized trees, that can worthily take the places of the representatives of "this noble genus, and, like these, challenge the admiring awe of intellectual giants of thatdav and age. (See PI. V, fig. 1. ) "Noah's Ark" was another prostrate shell that was hollow for 150 feet; through which, for 60 feet, three horsemen could ride abreast; but the snows of recent winters have broken in its roof, and blocked all further jiassage down it. Next comes the "Tree of Refuge," where, during one severe winter, 16 cattle took shelter; but sub- sequently perished from starvation. They found protecti(m from tlie storm, but their bleaching l^ones told the sad tale of their sufferings and death from lack of food. Near to this lies "Old Goliath," the largest decumbent tree in tlie grove; whose cir- cumference was over 100 feet, and, Avhen erect, was of proportionate height to the tallest. During the gale that prostrated "Hercules," in the Calaveras Grove, this grand old tree had also to succumb. One of his stalwart lind^s was 11 feet in diameter. smith's ( abin. There is another notable specimen, which somewhat forms a sequel to the above, known as Smith's Cabin, on account of its having Ijeen the chosen residence of a trapper and old mountaineer named A. J. Smith — Andrew Jackson Smith — who made the charred hollow of this burnt-out tree hi lonely home for tliree years. (See PI. VI. ) There is no telling what these old denizens of the mountains can or will do when they have made up their minds to anything. The diameter of ins cabin — which was to him a bedroom, sitting room, kitchen, and sometimes, during stormj' weather, a stable for his liorse — was 21 feet l)y 16. * * * On one occasion a regular "south- easter" was on the rampage, hurling down trees, twisting off l)ranches, tossing about tree tops, and liml)s, in all directions. As the old trapper dare not venture out, he sat listening, with uncjuestionable interest, to ascertain whether the wind or "Smith's Cabin" was becoming the better wrestler of the two. At this juncture an earth- trembling crash came with nerve-testing force, that made his hair stand on end, when he jumped to his feet, using certain emphatic ^vords (the synonyms of which can be found in "holy writ," or elsewhere), thinking, as he afterwards expressed it, "that it ' So called by many from its position immediately southeast of the Calaveras Grove, which is often called "North Grove." I I Sen. Doc. 393. 56th Cong , 1st Sess Plate VI. SMITH'S Cabin, a Giant Bij Tree in the Stanislaus Grove, the Hollow Base having been used in Early Years as a Hunter'S Cabin. Sen Doc. 393, 56th Cong,, 1st Se Plate V||. Big Trees in the Mariposa Grove, Sen. Doc. 393, 56th Cong., 1st Ses Plate VIII. The Big Tree "Wawona- in the Mariposa Grove, showing the Relative Size of other Conifers compared WITH Bi3 Trees. BTG TREKS OK CALIFOKNIA. 17 was all u-|> witli liiiii." As this was tlic ilownlall >>( "( »1<1 < inliatli," lie liogan to fear that old IJoivas was getting tlic best of tlic match, if he did not claim tiie gate-money, and that "SniitirsC'ahin " woulil lie thenextgiant tlirown. P>nt, lieinga liravemau — and who conld Uve .such a hfe as liis if lie were not? — and knowing well that he could not do better, concluded to look this danger un(|uailiiigly in the face, as he had done many a one before it, stay where he was, aii