THE BIG TREES 



129 



cut one down, and that the cost of felling one of these 

 monsters is five hundred dollars. 



A stump of one of these trees is so large that dances 

 have been held on it, and on one very large one a ball- 

 room has been built for this special purpose. 



As one Californian has said, " The redwood forests 

 are apparently miperishable, except through the ax, as 

 the trees are rarely injured by fire. The redwood is 

 the only lumber that can take the place of the white 

 pine, answer as a satisfactory substitute for mahogany 

 and black walnut, displace oak for railroad ties, cypress 

 and cedar for shingles, and surpass all other woods for 

 durability when in contact with the earth or when 

 exposed to moisture." 



Fig. 136. Immense Flock of Sheep being herded illegally in a United States 

 Government Forest Reservation, (They kill the young seedling trees) 



