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A HANDBOOK OF CONIFERS 



and he informs us that the timber is very durable. He observed 

 old trees that had fallen in the forest and were still sound, that had 

 trees growing upon them which were 200-300 years old. Much 

 of the timber that was being cut during his visit was going 

 into railway construction : this he considered wasteful, as the 



Fig. 37.—CUPRESSUS FORMOSENSIS. 

 a, spray with cone ; b, branchlet between two branches ; c, seeds. 



wood was too good for such work. It would appear to be suitable 

 for the same purposes as the wood of C. obtusa. The largest tree 

 that Elwes saw, known to the Japanese as " God's Tree," was 

 162 ft. high and 60 ft. in girth, whilst the oldest trees he esti- 

 mated at 1,200-1,500 years of age. 



