HISTORY OF VERMONT. 89 



this method of computation, I have found 

 the pine to be the most aged tree of our 

 forest, several of which were between three 

 hundred and fifty and four hundred years of 

 age. The largest trees of other species, are 

 generally between two and tliree hundred years- 

 I am since informed by James Whelpley, Esq. of 

 Hubbardton that this is not correct ; that he 

 has made many observations of this kind, and 

 has always" found the Oak to be the most aged 

 tree of the forest. By their rings or circles 

 some of these trees appeared to iiim to be more than 

 one thousand years of age ; and that some of 

 the pines were of more than 600 years growth. 

 In the more advanced periods of vegetable life, 

 this method of computation often fails : TliQ 

 decays of nature generally begin in the central, 

 which are the most aged parts. From them, 

 the mortification gradually extends to others ; 

 and thus, the internal parts of the tree, die in 

 the same order in which they were produced ; 

 the progress of death, regularly and steadily fol- 

 io vv'in? the same order and course, which had 

 been observed in the progress of life. In this 

 state of a tree, no computation can be made of 

 its age : But it seems most probable, that the 

 time of its natural increase and decrease, are 

 nearly the same ; and that the natural period of 

 vegetable life, is double to that, which the tree 

 has attained, when it first begins to decay at th^ 

 heart. ' 



Evaporation. Besides the growth, there 

 are other processes carried on by nature in ve- 

 getables, of which we have no suspicion, until 

 their elieets become apparent. This, is tlie case 



