Lamb: Value of the Contest 



427 



tree is a living thing. It enjoys freedom, 

 suffers under confinement, reacts to 

 poison, and according to late researches 

 even exhibits phenomena in death not 

 unlike that of the animal, although this 

 is only evident by measurement 

 with the most delicate and ingenious 

 instruments. Trees live through many 

 centuries and therefore become the 

 oldest inhabitants of the earth. Their 

 tremendous vitality, gigantic size and 

 remarkable antiquity should inspire 

 awe in the heart of the man who, with 

 his feeble strength, small stature and 

 short life does not hesitate to destroy 

 the life of a patriarch which may have 

 existed before the very dawn of botanical 

 science. Only too often man is even 

 willing to sacrifice a solitary monarch 

 of the bygone forest in order to facilitate 

 the cultivation of a field or to 

 straighten a line of fence. 



SENTIMENT ABOUT TREES 



An appeal for the preservation of 

 gigantic trees is not therefore made 

 solely in the name of science. Preserva- 

 tion of these remarkable specimens 

 will make possible valuable additions 

 to our scientific knowledge, but the 

 trees themselves in their beauty, utility 

 and grandeur present an appeal not 

 equalled by the interests of any scientific 

 investigation. The possession of the 

 largest individual of any species should 

 be counted as a priceless treasure and 

 should be cherished and protected 

 beyond all other appurtenances of the 

 estate on which it grows. These giants 

 should be protected in every possible 

 manner by their present owners whom 

 they are destined to outlive, and legal 

 provisions should be made to prevent 

 their destruction by future owners of 

 the land. A unique case is on record in 

 Georgia where a tree was given legal 

 possession of the ground upon which it 

 grew. This tree is perhaps the only 

 one in the world which holds a deed to 

 itself and the surrounding ground. 



Common Name 

 White elm 

 White oak 

 Sycamore 

 Chestnut 

 Black walnut 

 Yellow poplar 



Scientific Name 

 Ulmus americana 

 Quercus alba 

 Platanus occidentalis 

 Castanea dentata 

 Juglans nigra 

 Liriodendron tulipifera 



Nearly a century ago Col. W. H. Jackson, 

 son of Governor Jackson and father of 

 Chief Justice Jackson of the Georgia 

 Supreme Court, placed 'the deed on 

 record, in which he gave the tree entire 

 possession of itself, together with 8 feet 

 of ground on all sides. 



This contest of the American Genetic 

 Association confirms the fact that the 

 sycamore is our largest hardwood tree. 

 Data of scientific value are also presented 

 in the case of many other species. Two 

 introduced trees, Lombardy poplar and 

 English walnut, are of special interest. 

 The former was submitted from a 

 region that was one time included in the 

 treeless desert of the Middle West. 

 Growing at Arapahoe, Neb., this Euro- 

 pean poplar has reached a circumference 

 of 9 feet 10 inches and a height of about 

 100 feet within a period of thirty-two 

 years. A specimen of white elm from 

 Milford, Neb., reached a circumference 

 of 10 feet, a height of 32 feet and a 

 spread of 67 feet in about sixty-two 

 years. An interesting competitor also 

 is a specimen of hardy catalpa from 

 Arkansas having a circumference of 

 20 feet at 3 feet from the ground and a 

 height of 75 feet. A number of speci- 

 mens exceeded the dimensions generally 

 regarded as a maximum for that species. 



PROBLEMS OF DISTRIBUTION 



The student of forest geography will 

 be interested in the location of the trees 

 submitted with reference to the geo- 

 graphical distribution of the species. 

 In the discussion of the scientific value 

 of the prize contest it is not possible to 

 go into great detail. However, it has 

 been possible, even in the brief time 

 available, to present maps of six species 

 which have been selected on account of 

 their importance as forest trees, as well 

 as the large number of contestants 

 among these species which are included. 

 The location of the largest individual, 

 whose size is given in the following 

 table, is indicated by a small circle: 



Location 

 Morgantown, W. Va. 

 Atwood, Ind. 

 Worthington, Ind. 

 Crestmont, N. C. 

 Hanover Neck, N. J. 

 Asheville, N. C. 



Circumference 

 ii ft. 

 21 ft. 

 42 3.^ ft. 

 Zili ft. 

 24 ft. 

 34H ft. 



