RADIALS 



25 



swelling from the moisture which has filled them for years. Figure 1 

 shows parts of the heartwood curves, from 1550 to 1590, including 

 the year 1580, which is very distinctive when taken together with 

 1548 and others. Figure 2 shows the variable sizes of sapwood rings, 

 interfering greatly with dating and presenting a most unusual con- 

 dition in the sequoia. 



The curious fact became evident that the tree grew in places a 

 long time after falling, for most of the borings show a serious injury 

 about 1901 and some show no growth after that. But some show 

 continued growth up to 1915. This appears in figure 2. Evidently 

 roots still in the ground supplied moisture and supported growth for 

 more than a dozen years after the tree had fallen. 



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Fig. 1 — Heartwood rings at different heights in the sequoia; total height 265 feet; vertical 

 uniformity nearly perfect. Scale X 7.5; horizontal line with each curve represents 1 mm. 

 growth 



Naturally, this matter of longitudinal or vertical uniformity was 

 considered and tried out informally in the early work on this subject, 

 and, so far as the eye could tell, the same rings existed at different 

 heights. The fact that cross-identification applied equally at different 

 heights in the trunk of the tree was held sufficient at the time. For 

 example, D-18 and D-20 were each cut about 50 feet above ground- 

 level, and yet they cross-identify and otherwise appear exactly as 

 sections near the ground. The recent work of MacDougal and Shreve 

 on the longitudinally bisected tree is adding to our knowledge, and it 



