110 



died after younger trees grew up and shaded them. The trees 

 from one to two feet in diameter all have smooth straight 

 trunks (as shown in the illustration) , as a result of crowding. 



One possibility is that there was once a normal cypress 

 swamp here, and the early settlers cut out all but a few of the 

 trees, which then put out lateral branches which flourished un- 

 til a new crop of younger trees made it too shady for them. But 

 cypress is such a durable wood that if any trees had been cut 

 within a century or two their stumps should still be in evidence ; 

 but I saw no stumps. 



Another possibility is that this was once a spring-fed pond, 

 or meadow, with a few scattered cypresses, and that sediment 

 brought down by the creek since some of the surrounding 

 country was cleared has raised the ground surface and made 

 conditions more favorable for the germination of Taxodium, and 

 allowed a crop of younger trees to spring up. And possibly this 

 is all the human interference there has been, though it would 

 be remarkable if there had not been more, with people living 

 close to the swamp for more than a century. 



As cypress is a rather valuable wood, it is a wonder that 

 this swamp was not invaded by lumbermen long ago. And as it 

 is now in plain sight from a much-traveled highway, some such 

 fate may overtake it almost any day. But if it should escape ex- 

 ploitation for another generation or two, and be studied again 

 at the end of that time, perhaps some interesting developments 

 could be noted. 



University, Ala. 



