DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



to be seen in the middle or eastern states. Mr. 

 S. B. Buckley has given, in Silliman's Journal, 

 a record of some large trees, from which we ex- 

 tract the following paragraphs as worthy of 

 preservation in tlie Horticulturist. (We should 

 be glad to have accounts from our correspond- 

 ents in various {lortions of the union, of trees 

 of remarkable size — especially those which grow 

 singly — and not in forests.) 



" There is a ' big tree,' still alive, (July, 18-51,) 

 on the banks of the Genesee river, about a mile 

 from the village of Geneseo. It is a swamp 

 white oak (Qucrcus bicolor.) At the height 

 of about 20 feet, its body sends forth numerous 

 large branches, many of which are now dead. 

 The trunk varies little in size from the ground 

 to the branches, it having an average circum- 

 ference of 27 feet. The smallest circumference 

 is 24 feet. An elm tree tln-ce feet in circum- 

 ference is partly joined with it, their bcKlies 

 often touching, and their limbs intertwining, 

 the green leaves of the elm, make the old oak 

 look fresher than it really is. They are situated 

 in a pasture, and the ground is bare and hard 

 beneath them from the trani[iliiig of cattle and 

 visiti)rs. 



The swamp white oaks are numerous and of- 

 ten attain great size on the Genesee Flats. As 

 examples, one is 14 feet in circumference ; anoth- 

 er 13 feet 9 inches; a third 12 feet 8 inches. 

 The wood of this species is said to l)e superior 

 to that of the common white oak. Many of 

 these majestic trees contain more solid feet of 

 timber than the " big tree," on account of their 

 greater height. 



A large tree on the Genesee River, near Ge- 

 neseo, attracted the notice of the early settlers 

 of Western New- York. One of their finest 

 roads, leading from Canandaigua to Geneseo, 

 via. the foot of Iloneyoye Lake, was long known 

 as the " Big Tree Road." Tlie native Indians 

 had long known this corpulent giant of their 

 woods, and named one of their chiefs '' Big 

 Tree" or Great Tree." S. section of this tree 

 was conveyed to New- York, via. the canal and 

 Hudson River, about 15 years ago, where it was 

 used as a grocery. 



I have recently, (Feb. 1852.) visited the lum- 

 ber region in Alleghany county, N. Y., where a 

 portion of the hills and valleys are still 

 covered with dense forests, through which the 



white pines, {Pinus strobus,) are conspicuous 

 for their great size and height. I measured one 

 which was 15^ feet in circumference at the 

 height of 4 feet. One stump was 5 feet in di- 

 ameter, another 4| feet. A saw log 4 feet in 

 diameter, showed by its annular rings, an age 

 of about 210 years. The largest log which I 

 could learn of ever having been at any of the 

 mills, was one sawed several j'ears since, 7 feet 

 in diameter. A plank from this log, containing 

 600 feet board measure, was exhibited at the 

 county fair, at Angelica. I saw a hemlock, 

 {Abies canadensis,) which was 12 feet in cir- 

 cumference. 



In the history of Ncw-Hampshire, by Bel- 

 knap, a white pine is mentioned which was 7 

 feet in diameter. MicuAux,in his Sylva, states 

 that he saw a stump in Maine more than 6 feet 

 in diameter. He also measured two trunks 

 that were felled, one was 154 feet long, and 54 

 inches in diameter, the other 142 feet long, and 

 44 inches in diameter. I quote the above to 

 show that no part of the United States can pro- 

 bably boast of larger white pines than Alle- 

 ghany connty, N. Y. 



An elm, (Ulmiis americana.) was cut down 

 during the present winter, on the farm of S. K. 

 Jones, near Dresden, Yates county. New- York, 

 whose stump is 4 feet 10 inches in diameter at 

 4 feet from the ground. At the height of 15 

 feet, the trunk was 15^ feet in circumference. 

 At the height of 20 feet, where the trunk was 

 divided into two large branches, the circumfer- 

 ence is still greater. Its height was about 60 

 feet. Its annular aings indicate an age of about 

 300 years. [We think there are still larger 

 elms in the valley of the Connecticut. Will 

 some of our readers there send us statistics? 

 Ed.] 



In the township of Sod us, Wayne county, N. 

 Y., are many large Sycamores, (Platanus oc- 

 cidenlalis.) several of which are from 14 to 16 

 feet in diameter. The largest of them are uni- 

 formly hollow. These trees are not far from 

 Lake Ontario, and their branches still appear to 

 be in a flourishing condition. Mostof the trees 

 named in the foregoing article grew in a rich, 

 deep alluvial soil; even the large pines were 

 either in ravines or vallevs. 



The Cllmate of S.^n Francisco.- 



