194 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OP [1883. 



the American Association for the Ach^ancement of Science, at 

 Buffalo, 1876, he believed he might add a few additional facts, 

 drawn from or suggested by a visit made to a few of the groves 

 during the i)ast summer. He could confirm the statement of Mr. 

 Miiir that there were comparatively few young plants growing 

 among the old ones in the Calaveras or Mariposa groves. In the 

 latter spot a few might be found in swamp}' places. Man}' of the 

 large trees were also growing in swamp}' ground, while some were 

 found where the ground would be pronounced quite dry. Mr. 

 Muir gave 5000 feet as about the elevation of the trees in these — 

 the northern part of tiie belt occupied by them. On the soiithern 

 part of the belt Mr. Mnir found them at about 8000 feet, and there 

 numerous young trees formed the great mass of the undergrowth, 

 and furnished an abundance for a perfect succession of forest 

 trees. Here Mr. Muir found them in ground not swampy, as well 

 as in situations as swampy as possible, and he concludes that the 

 Sequoia giganlea is a tree which has the power of growing in 

 dryer and wetter soil than most other species. He adds : " It is 

 constantly asserted in a vague way, that the Sierra (in past times) 

 was vastly wetter than now, and that the increasing drouth will 

 of itself extinguish Sequoia, leaving its ground to other trees 

 supposed capable of flourisliing in a dryer climate. But that 

 Sequoia can and does grow on as dry ground as any of its present 

 rivals, is manifest in a thousand places. ' Why, then,' it will be 

 asked, ' is Sequoia always found in greatest abundance in well- 

 watered places where streams are exceptionally abundant ?' Simply 

 because a growth of sequoias always creates these streams. * * * 

 Drain the water, if possible, and the trees will remain ; but cut off 

 the trees, and the streams will vanish." He has seen a fallen 

 trunk make a dam of 200 feet long, and similar bogs made by 

 roots and fallen trunks damming the earth, are familiar features in 

 the more luxuriant sequoia forests. On this bare suggestion Mr. 

 Muir builds as if it were a demonstration, and proceeds to say : 

 " Since the extra moisture found in connection with the denser 

 growths is an effect of their presence, instead of a cause of their 

 presence, then notions, * * * based upon its supposed 

 dependence on greater moisture, are shown to be erroneous." 



In the light of these views, Mr. Meehan said he had carefully 

 examined the trees in the groups scattered from the Fresno to 

 Calaveras, and could say that in these Ic^calities the sequoias pos- 

 sessed no more power of making the ground swampy than any 

 othrr tree which might form the leading forests in heavy wooded 

 districts. The huge specimens o^ PwusLamhertiana, Finuaponder- 

 oaa, and the thick groves of Liboced run — huge, tljough averaging at 

 best but two-thirds the diameter of the mammoth sequoias — did not 

 make the ground swampy in the slightest degree. Mr. Muir's 

 supposition — for it surely cannot be regarded as such a demon- 

 stration as science requires — would give us snnill swamps, at 

 least, for the smaller trees. 



