RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 



Historical Trees of Rhode Island. 



In Rhode Island there have been many 

 trees of im historieal interest, and there ex- 

 ist now many that are aged and of large size. 

 A notice of a few that are and have been 

 the most conspicuous in this city and vicin- 

 ity may be of interest to those interested in 

 arboriculture and forestr}'. 



In July, 1763, the Sons of Liberty were 

 called upon to dedicate the Tree of Liberty, 

 located on the north side of Olney Street, in 

 tlie city of Providence, in front of a public 

 house, kept by Captain Joseph Olney. A 

 communication from Samuel Thurber, sub- 

 sequently found, speaks of it as one of the 

 largest elms he ever saw. A flight of steps 

 led up, perhaps twenty feet, to where three 

 or four limbs set out, and there ten or twelve 

 people could sit in comfortable enjoyment in 

 the shade. This tree was dedicated July 

 25, 1763, and a discourse was delivered by 

 Silas Powner. It was cut down a long time 

 ago. 



A specimen of the white oak {quercus 

 alba), in North Providence, on land owned 

 by the descendants of Capt. Timothy Olney, 

 is*^ noticeable for its size, the girth of the 

 trunk of this tree one foot from the ground 

 is twenty feet, height about seventy feet, 

 spread of lower limbs, 275 feet in circum- 

 ference. 



The scarlet oak {quercus coccinea), and 

 its varieties present some large specimens 

 within the limits of the city of Providence 

 and vicinity, some with a trunk girth of six- 

 teen feet ; height, ninety feet or more ; 

 spread of branches 100 feet. 



In the town of Johnston, on the estate of 

 Judge Zuriel Potter, on the north side of the 

 Hartford turnpike, was one of the largest 

 specimens of the American elm known in 

 New England. This tree is described in 

 Emerson's report on the trees and shrubs 

 of Massachusetts, published in 1846. One 

 of the last measurements of this tree before 

 its destruction is as follows: Circumfer- 

 ence, about a foot from the ground, where 

 the bulge of the roots is included, is 40 

 feet ; at a height of 6 feet is 23 feet ; at a 

 height of 12 feet, is 28 feet; circumference 

 of the two great branches, 14^ and 14 feet 

 respectively. In 1858, the smallest girth at 

 an average height of 5 feet from the ground 

 was 23 feet, 1 inch. The trunk, viewed 

 from the northeast, is plainly seen to have 



quite a division, in the tissnre on that si<le 

 steps being fixed for ascending the ticc. 

 The two great branches of this trunk scpn- 

 rate at the height of about twelve or four- 

 teen feet and then divide into secondly 

 branches, which count ten in number. On 

 mounting the phitform where the trunk di- 

 vides, room is found for several persons to 

 stand or sit together. Only the great soul h- 

 eastern branch, which runs off' horizont:dly 

 about seventy feet from the base of tlie 

 trunk, remains to show the great amount of 

 ground covered by the foliage of this elm 

 in its best days. Looking from the noitli- 

 east and knowing that the northern branch 

 once extended nearly as far, one can form 

 some idea of the tree as it then appeand. 

 It had a spread of little less than 140 feet. 

 Its height was about ninet}- feet. It luis 

 been estimated that the amount of lumln-r 

 which this tree containeil was twenty-tive 

 cords. It is believed that in the horizontal 

 spread of branches, the Johnston elm, in its^ 

 best days, was exceeded by none. The age 

 of this tree is entirely unknown. It is only 

 b}' reading and observation that a conjecture 

 can be obtained ; and if tliere is any value 

 in these results, we must conclude that the 

 Johnston elm, with its 277 inches of circum- 

 ference, ought to be not more than 275 year& 

 old, and probably not less than 250. 



In the public highway, in the village of 

 Lonsdale and town of Lincoln, not far from 

 the grave of our earliest founder, "NViHinm 

 Blackstone, is an oak called the Ciithi>lie 

 oak. Standing on the roots and al'<ait 

 three feet up, it girths sixteen feet. 'I'he 

 roots spread large and high above the grcjuud. 

 The mound formed by them and by over- 

 laying earth is 100 feet in circumference. 

 Spread of branches, about forty feet in every 

 direction. Many place the longevity of thi& 

 tree at more than 300 years. The luorns 

 have been distributed through many iown& 

 in Germany, and the oflTspring of thi& 

 " grand" old oak are there growing. 



{To be cnntinued.) 



A CORRESPONDENT dcsircs to know how 

 to tan ducks', grebes', and other greasy 

 breasts. 



This question belongs more especially to- 

 the tannery, but still most taxidermists 

 sooner or later desire to prepare skins in 

 this way. Will some of our readers favor 

 us with their methods? 



