THE GROWTH OF TREES. 259 



These trees are in full vigor to-day, one measur- 

 ing seventy-three inches and the other sixty- 

 eight in circumference. The former is fully 

 fifty feet in height, and the crop of fruit it bears 

 annually is enormous, 



In 1836 my grandfather found among a lot 

 of peach-trees that he had purchased an 

 elm (Ulmus Americana) which "was a mere 

 switch." It was planted in an out-of-the-way 

 corner, and is now a splendid tree, with a 

 spread of branches measuring seventy feet. 

 The circumferential measurement, at a height of 

 four feet from the ground, is one hundred and 

 three inches. 



Of the oaks, cedar, and beech, of which I 

 have many fine specimens upon the farm, I have 

 not been able to gather any definite data, but 

 it would appear that the growth is exceedingly 

 slow, after a certain term of years. My uncle is 

 very positive that a black oak in the lane and a 

 red cedar near by have not increased materially 

 in growth in the past half-century. He believes 

 the cedar to have " quite stood still," and this 

 may not be so strange, for it is known to be 

 considerably over one hundred years old. It 

 was a conspicuous road-side tree in 1802. It 

 measures but eighteen inches in diameter. 



