I 176 ] 



Account of the Dime?2sions of Amei'ican Trees. 

 By John Pearson. 



Read October 13th, 1807. 



Darby, August 2^th, 1807. 

 Respected Friend, 



Agreeably to thy request, I do myself the pleasure 

 of informing thee of the large forest trees &cc. of which 

 I have read, or had information respecting, from per- 

 sons of apparent veracity. I have generally noted the 

 books, or the name of the authorities in my notes. 



In Georgia, many black oak trees are 8, 9, 10, or 11 

 feet diameter, 5 feet above the surface, we measured 

 several above 30 feet girt, perfectly straight 40 or 50 

 feet to the limbs. The trunks of the live oaks are ge- 

 nerally (says the same ^^Titer) from 12 to 18 feet in girt, 

 and sometimes 18 or 20, some branches extend 50 paces 

 from the trunk on a straight line. Cypress are found 

 from 10 to 12 feet diameter, 40 to 50 feet to the limbs. 



In 1791 a yellow poplar grew on the lands of Charles 

 Hillyard Kent County Delaware, 36 feet in circumfer- 

 ence, appeared sound, and very tall. 



M'Kenzie says that in latitude 52° 23' 43" north, are 

 cedars 24 feet in girt, and that canoes made of them 

 caiTy from 8 to 50 persons, and that an alder was 7 1-2 

 feet in circumference and 40 feet without a branch. 



In 1785 about 2 miles from Morgan town Virginia, 

 a walnut tree was 19 feet round, retaining its thickness 

 well to the forks or about 60 feet. In Harrison county 

 same State, and year, a poplar tree was 21 and 1-2 feet 



