Botany and Zoology. 441 
ity of the proprietor of the section now at Philadelphia. ‘This section 
was taken at the height of 25 feet from the ground, and, according to 
the measurement of my friend, Thomas P. James, Esq., of Philadel- 
phia, it is about 124 feet in diameter, including the bark. Mr. James, 
at my request, has taken careful measurements of the wood itself, ex- 
cluding the bark. The three diameters taken by him, respectively meas- 
ure 9 feet 6 inches, 10 feet 4 inches, and 10 feet 104 inches; the aver- 
age diameter of the trunk at the height of 25 feet from the ground, is @ 
litle over 10 feet 3 inches. From the statements which have appeared, 
it would seem as if the layers had actually been counted, and ascertain- 
ed to be 3000 in number. ‘This surely ought to have deen done ; but 
an examination of the statements does not prove that it was. Mr, Lobb’s 
statement, as definite and reliable as any, is, that ** the trunk of the tree 
in question was perfecily solid, from the sapwood to the centre: an 
judging from the number of concentric rings, its age has been eslima- 
ted at 3000 years.” 
The number of layers, therefore, has only been estimated ; and we 
are not in possession of the exact data on which the estimate was found- 
the centre, giving the rate of the tree’s growth as a young and middle- 
aged tree, when it must undoubtedly, like other trees, have increased 
more rapidly than in later years. 
Dr. Lindley, | find, (in the Gardener’s Chronicle), has accredited the 
estimate which assigns to this tree an age of above 3000 years; stating 
give up the odd 500 years. ‘There isa further consideration. At 25 feet 
rom the ground the diameter of the wood is less than 10 feet 4 inches. 
Here the rate of two inches in diameter in 20 years would give the 
trunk an age of only 1230 years, so that on these data, the tree in its 
The section of the trunk at Philadelphia bas been hollowed out, by 
fire and other means, toa shell of 3 or 43 inches in thickness. Of this 
doubtless be supplied hereafter. The data at hand, however, will suf- 
fice for determining an age which the tree cannot exceed, unless it be 
posed to have grown more slowly during the earlier % of its exist- 
ence than during its later years, which is directly contrary to the ascer- 
tained fact in respect to trees in general. Now the piece of wood in my 
hands exhibits an average of 48 layers in an inch. The semi-diameter 
