THE HALL OF FAME FOR TREES 125 



followers of Methodism throughout the world. Both 

 Wesleys are known to have preached under the Wesley 

 Oak, with British soldiers as their congregations. 



In addition to the General Sherman Sequoia, with its 

 life span of forty centuries, California offers many other 

 trees of historical and romantic interest. One of these 

 is a tree of to-day, which tells a story of modern develop- 

 ment in the Golden West a story of the uncovering of 

 agricultural riches surpassing the gold mines in their 

 permanent value to the state. This tree, the Hilgard 

 Chestnut, stands in front of Agricultural Hall, on the cam- 

 pus of the University of California, where it rears its 

 stately crown as a living memorial to Professor Hilgard, 

 first dean of the College of Agriculture. Professor 

 Hilgard's work for the development of California's 

 amazing agricultural resources had much to do with the 

 creation of the State's almost fabulous wealth in farming; 

 this tree is a grateful tribute to this distinguished man. The 

 Chestnut was planted in 1885, and in the fall of 1922 

 its branches covered an area more than 50 feet in diameter. 

 America has many trees prized for their association 

 with literature, as the Cambridge Elms, immortalized in 

 story and poem, the Elms of New~Haven and Princeton, 

 made famous by intimate relationship with many of the 

 nation's most gifted men of letters, and the trees of 

 Boston Common which have sheltered generations of 

 literary celebrities. A worthy addition to the list, serving 

 to link the genius of the old world with the spirit of the 

 new, is the Shakespeare Memorial Oak, occupying a place 

 of honor on the campus of the University of Rochester in 

 the state of New York. This Oak was brought from 

 Shakespeare's home in Stratford-on-Avon, and was planted 

 at Rochester April 23, 1864, in connection with the 

 celebration of the tercentennial of Shakespeare's birth. 



