THE TWO OLDEST TREES 



Cruz, and you can imagine the pleasure 

 afforded me on finding that a tree of mod- 

 erate diameter, not far from the "McKin- 

 ley and Roosevelt" trees, had fallen and 

 that in order to keep the paths open, a 

 section had been cut out of the trunk. 

 Here was an opportunity of reading cor- 

 rectly from the storehouse of tree knowl- 

 edge. 



When among these aged standing trees 

 you will notice circular depressions or 

 bowls. The predecessors of the living 

 trees once stood above these open circles, 

 ages ago, before the tree and its base were 

 consumed by repeated fires. 



Plainly and distinctly I found recorded 

 there that in the latter part of the Fif- 

 teenth century (1450 to 1500), there had 

 been a period of unusual aridity which 

 had lasted for fully fifty years, and to 

 such an extent, caused by the reduced 

 rainfall, that the tree barely survived. 

 Immediately following this period was 



52 



