The Big Tree and the Redwood 



Big Tree. Its spreading leaves on the terminal twigs give it a 

 more graceful, feathery spray than do the awl-like blades of the 

 other. The pistillate flowers have fewer scales, and the buds are 

 scaly. The cones are smaller, and the seeds have more vitality. 

 The redwood is only a trifle under the Big Tree in size, sometimes 

 overtopping the highest of them, and reaching 400 feet. But the 

 trunks are not so massive, and these trees average smaller than 

 their cousins. In beauty the redwood is first; the lustrous leaves, 

 the ruddy bark, and the gracefully curving branches of trees still 

 in their prime will halt the passing stranger and compel his wonder 

 and admiration. The forests throng with young trees in every 

 stage of growth, showing that Nature left to herself would mul- 

 tiply and extend the range of this species. But the wood is beau- 

 tiful, and light and easily worked. It is admirable in building, 

 and durable beyond most woods. It receives a satiny polish, 

 and it lasts indefinitely in the ground. 



Curly grain is common in Sequoia lumber, and this, as in 

 other species, is eagerly sought after by the makers of fancy fur- 

 niture and bric-a-brac. People want redwood, so the lumberman 

 is stripping the redwood forests as fast as possible. "They'll 

 come on again ! " And it is true to some extent. The trees send 

 up suckers from the stumps, which the Big Trees cannot do. But 

 lumbering is wasteful and greedy in its methods, and more is 

 wasted than saved. Forest fires lick up the kindling the lum- 

 berman leaves, and young trees and old fall victims to this dis- 

 aster. 



Redwoods are more easily accessible than Big Trees. They 

 come down to the coast and thus tempt the avarice of lumbermen. 

 The extent of these woods seemed great, at first. But on the map 

 the region is very small indeed, and immediate protective meas- 

 ures are demanded if any groves of big redwoods are to be saved 

 from the sawmill. 



In cultivation the redwood has followed the Big Tree into 

 European gardens, and at length it has shown itself hardy and 

 fairly content in the Southeastern States. Near Charleston, 

 South Carolina, it is growing successfully. 



QO 



