Some Trees are Famous 



An Indian trail tree, a white oak in High- 

 land Park, 111. The tree took root at a point 

 of secondary contact with the ground and 

 continued to grow with two sets of roots. 



In Athens, Ga., was the "Oak that 

 Owned Itself" "for and in consider- 

 ation of the great love I bear this 

 tree," its owner, William H. Jackson, 

 willed to it entire possession of itself 

 and of all land within 8 feet of the 

 tree on all sides. The deed, dated 1820, 

 is recorded in the office of the town 

 clerk. 



There are freak trees, interesting as 

 curiosities, such as the old elm in Ham- 

 burg, Conn., that grew around a grave- 

 stone; the G-trees of Biloxi, Miss.; the 

 Lyre Tree, an elm of freak growth in 

 Livingston, N. J.; the Cannibal Tree, 

 a Douglas-fir that entirely enclosed an 

 oak in Oregon; and the trees that 

 started from seed and grew for many 

 years on the top of the courthouse 

 tower in Greensburg, Ind. 



Dane County Village, near Madi- 

 son, in Wisconsin, has a Forest of Fame, 

 in which trees have been transplanted 

 from the homes of many Presidents of 

 the United States, famous generals, and 

 personages associated with religion, 

 science, music, and commerce, and 

 from historic places such as Sherwood 

 Forest in England. The Forest of Fame 

 was started by John S. Donald, a pro- 

 fessor in the University of Wisconsin. 

 The first trees, from George Washing- 

 ton's home at Mount Vernon, were 



planted by Professor Donald on Arbor 

 Day, 1916. 



Among the trees that are of special 

 interest to many tourists are the Japa- 

 nese cherry trees in Washington, D. C., 

 and the Mile of Christmas Trees in 

 Pasadena, Calif. The awe-inspiring 

 coastal redwoods and the giant se- 

 quoias of the California Sierra are 

 visited by people from all parts of the 

 world. 



I have written about only a few of 

 the notable trees, living and dead, for 

 which Americans have a special fond- 

 ness. Still to be mentioned are the trees 

 for which I ( and millions of Americans 

 like me) have a particular affection, al- 

 though they have no connections with 

 Presidents or history and it is only our 

 neighbors and friends that come to ad- 

 mire them. They are the trees in our 

 own yards. For us they are reminders 

 of how close trees are to our lives, of 

 the words that I am told appear on a 

 sign at the entrance to a public park in 

 Portugal : 



"Ye who would pass by and raise 

 your hand against me, harken ere you 

 harm me. I am the heat of your hearth 

 on the cold winter nights; the friendly 

 shade screening you from the summer 

 sun; and my fruits are refreshing 

 draughts quenching your thirst as you 

 journey on. I am the beam that holds 

 your house, the board of your table, 

 the bed on which you lie, and the tim- 

 ber that builds your boat. I am the 

 handle of your hoe, the door of your 

 homestead, the wood of your cradle, 

 and the shell of your coffin. I am the 

 gift of God and friend of man." 



CHARLES E. RANDALL is a native of 

 California and a graduate of Stanford 

 University and George Washington 

 University. After teaching in Oregon 

 State College, work on ranches, news- 

 paper work, and participation in a tree- 

 disease survey in western forests, he 

 joined the Bureau of Plant Industry, 

 Soils, and Agricultural Engineering as 

 a junior forest pathologist. In 1927 he 

 entered the Forest Service as an editor 

 and writer. 



