Sandusky Bay and Cedar Point 



231 



large black oak, American elm and other trees. Its cedar 

 stumps are evidently older than those on Ridge 2, being larger 

 and more decayed. Eight or more exceed 27 inches in diameter 

 and four range from 30 to 36 inches. The ages of eight of the 

 older ones were estimated at 185, 200, 220, 229, 236, 245, 261 and 

 262 years. The oldest, then, are but little older than the oldest 

 on Ridge 2, and not so old as the oldest on Ridge 2A. It does 

 not follow, however, that the ridge is only a few years older than 

 Ridge 2 and 2A. In a forest that has been standing for centuries 

 ■one is likely to find on five acres of ground one or two trees much 

 older than any others of the same kind. Out of a hundred cedars 

 starting at about the same time few live to be two centuries and 

 ordinarily not one to be three centuries old. So the three-cen- 

 tury cedar on Ridge 2A must be regarded as one that was excep- 

 tionally favored. The ten or twelve largest stumps on Ridge 1 

 appear to average fully six inches greater in diameter than the 

 ten or twelve largest of Ridge 2. As these large stumps have an 

 average of about 25 rings to the inch in the outer part we may 

 take their average age as 75 years greater. The percentage of 

 ■cedars to attain a diameter of 27 inches must be much less than 

 of those that attain a diameter of 20 inches. It is therefore not 

 improbable that Ridge 1 exceeds Ridge 2 in age by more than 

 75 years. 



