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Sierra Club Bulletin 



felled for this purpose were all vigorous and clean-growing 

 junipers in their young prime, from two to three feet in diam- 

 eter, and from sixty to seventy feet high. From my notes I 

 select the following typical counts of the annual rings of 

 growth. 



No. I. Prostrate trunk, one of the two trunks of a double 

 tree. Section at lo feet from the ground. Diameter 24 inches, 

 247 rings. 



No. 2. Stump. Section at three feet from the ground. Di- 

 ameters 27 and 36 inches, 236 rings. 



No. 3. Prostrate half of a double tree which had stood 70 

 feet high. Diameter at 10 feet above the ground, 28 inches, 

 255 rings. 



No. 4. A fine double tree, still in vigorous growth; each 

 trunk nearly five feet in diameter, and the combined trunk 

 nearly nine feet. A superficial cut to a depth of inches 

 showed 40 layers of growth. 



In order to bring these results to bear upon the question of 

 the age of junipers growing under conditions which are for 

 them more usual than those of Lake Valley, we later cut down 

 a vigorous young tree growing on a rocky ledge in Glen Alpine, 

 near Lily Lake, and brought a section of the trunk to Berkeley, 

 where it is now in the Herbarium of the University. This tree 

 is — 



No. 5. Diameters, 14 and 18 inches. Rings, 230.§ 

 This last tree from the mountain side proved to be a very 

 instructive parallel to those selected as typical of growth on 

 the valley floor. For while the age was nearly the same 

 throughout the whole group, the measured diameters of the 

 valley trees averaged nearly twice as great as that of the moun- 

 tain tree. All this was interesting and suggestive, but it did 

 not go far enough. We need to know also the age of the much 

 larger trees which are frequently encountered — from five to 

 seven feet, as stated in the Silva; and trees considerably larger 

 than that have been credibly reported. Direct and conclusive 

 answer to this question can, of course, be had only by felling 



§ The upper surface was chosen for measurement because it was clear of the 

 swell about the roots. The count of rings could not be made on this surface be- 

 cause of a cavity at the heart. It was therefore made on the lower surface, and 

 showed 234 rings. An allowance of 4 rings was then made for the difference of 13 

 inches in height. 



