﻿136 
  TWENTY-FIRST 
  REPORT 
  ON 
  THE 
  STATE 
  CABINET. 
  

  

  Table 
  of 
  Cedar-root 
  Chronology. 
  

  

  1. 
  

  

  2. 
  

  

  3. 
  

  

  4. 
  

  

  Circum. 
  of 
  base 
  of 
  

  

  Estimated 
  age, 
  in 
  

  

  Length 
  of 
  exposed 
  

  

  Recession 
  of 
  cliff 
  per 
  

  

  trunk, 
  in 
  inches. 
  

  

  years. 
  

  

  root, 
  in 
  inches. 
  

  

  century, 
  in 
  inches. 
  

  

  11 
  

  

  210 
  

  

  72 
  

  

  34.2 
  

  

  19 
  

  

  363 
  

  

  117 
  

  

  32.2 
  

  

  30 
  

  

  573 
  

  

  150 
  

  

  26.2 
  

  

  16 
  

  

  306 
  

  

  72 
  

  

  23.5 
  

  

  19 
  

  

  363 
  

  

  72 
  

  

  19.8 
  

  

  29 
  

  

  554 
  

  

  108 
  

  

  19.5 
  

  

  6.5 
  

  

  124 
  

  

  24 
  

  

  19.3 
  

  

  7 
  

  

  134 
  

  

  24 
  

  

  17.9 
  

  

  9.5 
  

  

  183 
  

  

  30 
  

  

  16.3 
  

  

  19 
  

  

  363 
  

  

  56 
  

  

  15.4 
  

  

  37.5 
  

  

  716 
  

  

  84 
  

  

  11.5 
  

  

  19 
  

  

  363 
  

  

  38 
  

  

  10.5 
  

  

  6 
  

  

  115 
  

  

  12 
  

  

  10.4 
  

  

  8 
  

  

  153 
  

  

  12 
  

  

  7.8 
  

  

  9 
  

  

  172 
  

  

  12 
  

  

  7 
  

  

  28 
  

  

  535 
  

  

  36 
  

  

  6.7 
  

  

  9.5 
  

  

  183 
  

  

  12 
  

  

  6.5 
  

  

  15 
  

  

  286 
  

  

  9 
  

  

  3.1 
  

  

  7 
  

  

  134 
  

  

  2 
  

  

  1.5 
  

  

  Average 
  

  

  19)289.3 
  

  

  15.2 
  

  

  The 
  rugged 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  cliff 
  renders 
  the 
  result 
  from 
  a 
  single 
  

   tree 
  unreliable. 
  If 
  it 
  commenced 
  life 
  in 
  a 
  concavity, 
  its 
  roots 
  may- 
  

   have 
  been 
  but 
  slightly 
  uncovered 
  after 
  the 
  lapse 
  of 
  centuries; 
  while, 
  

   if 
  it 
  clung 
  to 
  a 
  prominence, 
  a 
  single 
  century's 
  frosts 
  may 
  have 
  dis- 
  

   closed 
  several 
  feet 
  of 
  root. 
  Of 
  the 
  nineteen 
  that 
  I 
  measured, 
  one, 
  

   aged 
  210 
  years, 
  shows 
  72 
  inches 
  of 
  root, 
  and 
  another, 
  aged 
  134 
  

   years, 
  but 
  2 
  inches. 
  They 
  indicate 
  recession 
  at 
  those 
  points 
  of 
  34 
  

   inches, 
  and 
  1J 
  inch 
  per 
  century. 
  The 
  average 
  rate 
  for 
  all 
  is 
  

   15 
  inches 
  per 
  century. 
  It 
  is 
  presumed 
  that 
  the 
  roots 
  bared 
  had 
  

   originally 
  run 
  normally 
  into 
  the 
  cliff. 
  If 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  had 
  an 
  

   oblique 
  direction, 
  the 
  amount, 
  and 
  consequently 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  reces- 
  

   sion 
  have 
  been 
  overrated. 
  It 
  is 
  further 
  presumed 
  that 
  the 
  exposed 
  

   roots 
  have 
  not 
  lengthened 
  since 
  their 
  denudation. 
  If 
  they 
  have 
  

   done 
  so, 
  our 
  estimate 
  should 
  be 
  reduced. 
  We 
  are 
  safe 
  in 
  saying 
  

  

  