THE LARGEST AND OLDEST 

 LIVING THING 



The General Sherman "big tree" {Sequoia gigan- 

 tea). This tree was about 1,200 yrs. old when 

 Christ was born. At the time of the Trojan wars 

 and the Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt, under 

 the leadership of Moses, the tree was a sapling 

 20-30 ft. high. It has been alive during all of 

 mediaeval and modern history. Its height is 

 279.9 ft., circumference of the trunk at the base 

 102.8 ft., greatest diameter 36.5 ft., diameter 

 100 ft. from the ground 17.7 ft. Note that its 

 lowest branches are at about the level of the 

 tops of the conifers surrounding it. (Photo by 

 Pillsbury.) 



