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 imperishable, 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.” 
Fic. 136. Immense Flock of Sheep being herded illegally in a United States 
Government Forest Reservation. (They kill the young seedling trees) 
