THE HALL OF FAME FOR TREES 121 



more than 4000 years, it has a diameter of 36^ feet 

 and a height of 280 feet. This tree is located in 

 Sequoia National Park, where it stands as a memorial 

 to General William Tecumseh Sherman, as well as the 

 undisputed monarch of the ages. 



In sharp contrast to this woodland patriarch is the 

 Naturalization Tree in Kentucky, a symbol of the 

 American Spirit of to-day. For this tree no certificate 

 of age is necessary. Both name and fame rest on its 

 service in connection with Americanizing recruits at 

 Camp Zachary Taylor during the recent war. Under its 

 branches thousands of aliens took the oath of allegiance 

 upon being mustered into the ranks of the United States 

 Army. On a single day this tree witnessed the naturali 

 zation of 925 of these new Americans and saw their salute 

 to the flag of their new citizenship. 



In the grounds of the White House, at Washington, 

 stands a tree which links the past and present in an 

 unusual manner. This tree is the outgrowth of an acorn 

 brought from Russia, and because of this and its unique 

 lineage it is known as the Russo-American Oak. The 

 tree from which the acorn was obtained stands in Petro- 

 grad. It grew from an acorn produced by a tree at the 

 tomb of Washington, at Mt. Vernon. The Mt. Vernon 

 acorn was sent to the Czar of Russia by Senator Charles 

 Sumner, of Massachusetts, and planted in the grounds 

 of the Imperial Palace by the Czar as a symbol of Russo- 

 American friendship. In 1898, the tree which had grown 

 from Senator Sumner's acorn was located by Ethan 

 Allen Hitchcock, then American Ambassador to St. 

 Petersburg. Gathering and planting some of the acorns 

 from this tree, the Ambassador sent a sapling of the new 

 generation to President Roosevelt for planting in the 

 White House grounds. The planting took place on April 



