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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  Another 
  association 
  of 
  growth 
  rings 
  with 
  prehistoric 
  deposits 
  

   has 
  rapidly 
  developed 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  years. 
  In 
  1904 
  the 
  writer 
  

   discovered 
  an 
  Indian 
  burial 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  8 
  feet 
  in 
  a 
  cultivated 
  field 
  

   near 
  Flagstaff, 
  Ariz. 
  A 
  skeleton 
  and 
  two 
  nests 
  of 
  pottery 
  were 
  

   revealed 
  by 
  a 
  deep 
  cut 
  which 
  a 
  stream 
  of 
  water 
  had 
  made 
  through 
  

   the 
  land. 
  Near 
  the 
  burial 
  was 
  an 
  ancient 
  pine 
  stump 
  standing 
  in 
  

   place 
  16 
  feet 
  underground. 
  The 
  tree 
  was 
  later 
  discovered 
  by 
  a 
  

   neighbor 
  and 
  became 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  bridge 
  support. 
  The 
  Indian 
  remains 
  

   were 
  given 
  away 
  except 
  a 
  red 
  bowl 
  of 
  simple 
  pattern 
  and 
  a 
  good 
  

   piece 
  of 
  black-and-white 
  ware 
  which 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  Arizona 
  State 
  

   Museum. 
  In 
  1920 
  the 
  search 
  for 
  these 
  buried 
  trees 
  was 
  resumed 
  and 
  

   more 
  than 
  a 
  half 
  dozen 
  in 
  excellent 
  preservation 
  were 
  found 
  at 
  

   depths 
  from 
  4 
  to 
  12 
  feet, 
  Mr. 
  L. 
  F. 
  Brady 
  of 
  the 
  Evans 
  School 
  gave 
  

   most 
  important 
  help 
  in 
  getting 
  out 
  sections 
  of 
  these. 
  In 
  the 
  summer 
  

   of 
  1921 
  he 
  again 
  resumed 
  the 
  search 
  and 
  found 
  several 
  more 
  buried 
  

   trees 
  and 
  especially 
  determined 
  several 
  levels 
  at 
  which 
  pottery 
  and 
  

   other 
  Indian 
  remains 
  are 
  plentiful. 
  These 
  buried 
  trees 
  have 
  been 
  

   preserved 
  by 
  their 
  pitch 
  and 
  show 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  quantities 
  of 
  

   beautiful 
  little 
  white 
  needle-shaped 
  crystals, 
  which 
  Doctor 
  Guild 
  has 
  

   discovered 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  new 
  mineral 
  and 
  to 
  which 
  he 
  has 
  given 
  the 
  name 
  

   " 
  Flagstaffite." 
  

  

  Several 
  conclusions 
  are 
  already 
  evident 
  in 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  these 
  buried 
  

   trees. 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  place 
  they 
  supply 
  much 
  desired 
  material 
  from 
  

   which 
  some 
  data 
  regarding 
  past 
  climates 
  may 
  be 
  obtained. 
  The 
  

   trees 
  buried 
  most 
  deeply 
  have 
  very 
  large 
  rings 
  and 
  a 
  certain 
  kind 
  

   of 
  slow 
  surging 
  in 
  ring 
  size. 
  Both 
  of 
  these 
  features 
  are 
  character- 
  

   istic 
  of 
  wet 
  climates. 
  The 
  stumps 
  at 
  higher 
  levels 
  show 
  characters 
  

   common 
  in 
  dry 
  climates; 
  that 
  is, 
  general 
  small 
  rings 
  and 
  a 
  certain 
  

   snappy 
  irregularity 
  with 
  frequent 
  surprises 
  as 
  to 
  size. 
  This 
  varia- 
  

   tion 
  with 
  depth 
  gives 
  a 
  strong 
  intimation 
  of 
  climatic 
  change. 
  The 
  

   cycles 
  dominant 
  at 
  these 
  different 
  levels 
  also 
  may 
  be 
  read 
  from 
  these 
  

   sections 
  and 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  prove 
  of 
  great 
  value. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  second 
  place 
  this 
  material 
  will 
  help 
  in 
  determining 
  the 
  

   age 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  remains 
  and 
  perhaps 
  even 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  filling 
  in 
  

   which 
  these 
  objects 
  were 
  located. 
  There 
  are 
  several 
  ways 
  of 
  getting 
  

   at 
  this 
  which 
  will 
  take 
  time 
  in 
  working 
  out 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  one 
  in- 
  

   ference 
  immediately 
  evident. 
  One 
  log 
  was 
  buried 
  about 
  2 
  feet, 
  yet 
  

   its 
  rings 
  do 
  not 
  tally 
  with 
  the 
  500 
  years 
  of 
  well 
  determined 
  rings 
  of 
  

   modern 
  trees 
  in 
  that 
  neighborhood. 
  Allowing 
  about 
  a 
  century 
  for 
  

   the 
  sapwood 
  lost 
  from 
  the 
  buried 
  tree 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  century 
  more 
  neces- 
  

   sary 
  to 
  detect 
  cross-identity, 
  we 
  have 
  an 
  approximate 
  minimum 
  of 
  

   350 
  years 
  from 
  that 
  2 
  feet 
  of 
  depth. 
  The 
  age 
  of 
  Indian 
  relics 
  at 
  9 
  and 
  

   even 
  4 
  feet 
  must 
  be 
  very 
  considerable. 
  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  add 
  that 
  

  

  