I2O Trees, Stars, and Birds 



The cones of this great tree are only 2 or 3 inches 

 long. Although many of the seeds fail to germinate, 

 the tree can be raised by planting the seeds, and thou- 

 sands of seedlings are to be seen about the old trees, 

 where lumbering has opened up the forest and exposed 

 the soil to the sunlight. The Big Tree does not, like 

 the redwood, reproduce by sprouts. 



The bald cypress. In the Southern swamps grows a 

 remarkable tree, the bald cypress, which may occa- 

 sionally be seen in cultivation in the North. As it is 

 related to the cedars and pines, we should expect to find 

 it retaining its leaves throughout the year, but it loses 

 them, or becomes bald, in winter. At other seasons 

 its delicate green foliage makes it a beautiful tree. It 

 usually grows where its roots are covered with water. 

 Most trees would die if their roots were under water 

 for several months, but it is in swamps, where its roots 

 are submerged, that the cypress usually grows. It has 

 uirious growths, called " knees," which extend from 

 the roots up into the air. 



Cypress trees surpass in size all others in the eastern 

 half of America, with the possible exception of the syca- 

 more, tulip tree, and chestnut. Some have been found 

 150 feet tall, and some have trunks 12 feet in diameter. 

 They furnish a large amount of valuable lumber, which 

 is soft, light, and with a straight grain. Where most 

 kinds of timber would soon rot, cypress endures. It is 

 extensively used for water tanks, silos, greenhouses, 

 boats, ties, and for shingles, sash, and other parts of build- 

 ings exposed to the weather. Many country houses in the 

 South are roofed with short boards split from cypress. 



