FAMOUS TREES 73 



Professor Starker says in his article on the Giant Growers of the 

 Globe (88), following a description of the Founders Tree: "But not 

 far away in Bull Creek flat is another redwood reported to be 345 

 feet high." 



General Grant Redwood, Santa Cruz County, is credited with a 

 base circumference of 56% feet and a height of 300 feet (51). 



A redwood in Big Lagoon tract on Maple Creek, Humboldt County, 

 has a circumference of 62.8 feet outside the bark 5 feet from the 

 ground and a height of 308 feet. It scales 361,366 board feet — 

 Spaulding scale — "enough to build 22 average houses" (91/.). 



"The Paradox Walnut" of Yuba, so-called because it is a cross be- 

 tween the California black walnut and the Persian (English) walnut, 

 is undoubtedly the largest walnut tree in California. It has a circum- 

 ference of 18 feet 7 inches, 4 feet above ground, a height of 90 feet, 

 and a branch spread of 108 feet (6, 13, 54). 



COLORADO 



A limber pine (Pinus flexilis) 18.8 feet in circumference at breast 

 height, and 67 feet tall, is on the Huerfano district of the San Isabel 

 National Forest. This tree was reported by Paul Gilbert, district 

 forest ranger of the Huerfano district of the San Isabel National 

 Forest, in the Rocky Mountain Region Bulletin for December 1936. 

 He reports this tree as growing on an eastern exposure in a mixed 

 stand of ponderosa pine, Engelmann spruce, and a scattering of 

 Douglas fir, at an elevation of 8,500 feet and says that it is not defec- 

 tive in any way. 



An Engelmann spruce on the Gunnison National Forest has a cir- 

 cumference of more than 15 feet and is 164 feet tall, as reported by 

 Supervisor Kreuger on March 10, 1930, from measurements taken by 

 him and Ranger Heilman on July 8, 1929. 



CONNECTICUT 



The canoe birch at Warehouse Point, Hartford County, has a 

 circumference of 8 feet 5 inches 4 feet from the ground, and a branch 

 spread of 73 feet. It is 75 feet tall (66, p. 23). 



The Great Elm at Wethersfield (3; 5; 6; lb; 66, p. 24j 71/ 105, p. 

 80) , has been acclaimed as "the largest living elm in the United States" ; 

 and when the results of the contest of the American Genetic Associa- 

 tion, 1915 (6, 5 4) in its search for outstanding trees, were published, 

 it was announced that "in all probability there is no living elm larger 

 than the Great Elm at Wethersfield, Conn." This contest was far- 

 reaching and brought forth stories and photographs of 337 trees. 

 Nevertheless, comparison with records of other elms show close com- 

 petition. (Compare with descriptions of the Rugg Elm, Framing- 

 ham, Mass., and of the Gowanda, Italy Hollow, and Markham elms 

 of New York, and the Elmshade tree in Canton, Conn.) The Great 

 Elm at Wethersfield stands on the east side of the Broad Street Green, 

 and the sign on it reads : "The Great Elm is 9 feet 6 inches in diam- 

 eter, 29 feet 6 inches in circumference. Age 172 years, 1930." It is 

 credited with a height of 100 feet and a branch spread of about 150 

 feet. Tradition has it that Charles Wesley preached under the 

 spreading branches of this elm (fig. 35) . Newspaper reports indicate 

 this tree was destroyed by the storm of September 21, 1938. 



