Old Trees

some of the conifera; are scarcely less extraordinary than their colossal bulk. The greatest longevity assigned to any tree is perhaps credited to the celebrated taxodium of Chapultepee, in Mexico, 117 feet in circumference, which is thought by De Candolle to exceed in age the baobab of Senegal, inferred to be 5150 years old. Goeppert states that Taxodium distichum has been ascertained by its annular rings to live 2000 years. The raammoth tree has been estimated to live 4000 years in California. De Candolle quotes & number of instances of longevity in the yew, and Endheher considera one m Derbyshire to be 2096 years old, and the one at Grasford, in North Wales, 1400 years old. The pines, cypress, Ürs, larches and cedars are credited with ages of 200, 300 and even 500 years. Picea 200 feet in height 3 mentioned by Goeppart, as ascertained by its annular rings, to be 460 years old, and a larix of 120 feet to be 576 years old. The Scotch pine is said to require 200 years to mature its timber to perlection. In Veitch's Manual of the Conifera the ages of some of these are stated at considerably less. Other examples of a longevity greater than 500 years are tioned. These are Cedrus deodara, 750 to 900 years; cedar of Lebanon, 600 to 800 year3. It is important, however. to recognize tlie fact that rings of growth are not in all cases trustworthy guides, and the subject is still involved in some obscurity. The rings of growth in eucalyptus have been ascertained to be biennial. White cedars planted in England show symptoms of decay, as in Kichmond Park, as if their full age in this climate at