X FLOWERS AND FORESTS OF THE FAR WEST 231 



of the tallest trees lean towards the south, owing to the 

 increased growth of their topmost branches towards the 

 sun. They are then acted upon by violent gales, which 

 loosen their roots, and whatever the direction of the wind 

 that finally overthrows them, they fall in the direction of 

 the overbalancing top weight. The young trees grow 

 spiry and perfectly upright, but so soon as they overtop the 

 surrounding trees and get the full influence of the sun 

 and wind, the highest branches grow out laterally, killing 

 those beneath by their shade, and thus a dome-shaped 

 top is produced. Taking into consideration the health and 

 vigour of the largest trees, it seems jDrobable that, under 

 favourable conditions of shelter from violent winds and 

 from a number of trees around them of nearly equal 

 height, big trees might be produced far surpassing in 

 height and bulk any that have yet been discovered. It is 

 to be hoped that if any such are found to exist in the 

 extensive groves of these trees to the south of those 

 which are alone accessible to tourists, the Californian 

 Government will take steps to reserve a considerable tract 

 containing them, for the instruction and delight of future 

 generations. 



The scarcity of young Sequoias strikes every visitor, the 

 fact being that they are only to be found in certain 

 favoured spots. These are, either where the loose debris 

 of leaves and branches which covers the ground has been 

 cleared away by fire, or on the spots where trees have 

 been uprooted. Here the young trees grow in abund- 

 ance, and serve to replace those that fall. The explana- 

 tion of this is, that during the long summer drought the 

 loose surface debris is so dried up that the roots of the 

 seedling Sequoias perish before they can penetrate the 

 earth beneath. They require to germinate on the soil 

 itself and this they are enabled to do when the earth is 

 turned up by the fall of a tree, or where a fire has cleared 

 off the debris. They also flourish under the shade of the 

 huge fallen trunks in hollow places, where moisture is 

 preserved throughout the summer. Most of the other 

 conifers of these forests, especially the pines, have much 

 larger seeds than the Sequoias, and the store of nourish- 



