PARK AND CEMETERY 
49 
A hunter (whether Indian or white is not stated) 
is said to have discovered them, but the clearest rec- 
ord seems to have been the name “J. M. Wooster, June 
1850,” cut in the bark of a tree and found soon after- 
wards ; still there has been lots of controversy as to 
who discovered them. Their introduction to Europe 
is much clearer. A Scotch gentleman named Matthew 
first received a few seeds from his son, but Messrs. 
Veitch’s collector, William Lobb, introduced the tree 
to commerce, and Dr. Lindley recorded the fact in the 
“Gardener’s Chronicle” of the 24th of December, 1853. 
Lindley soon afterwards named it “Wellingtonia,” 
which continues to be the common name in the British 
Islands, where there are probably more trees today 
SEQUOIA SEMPERVIRENS. COAST OF N. CALIFORNIA. 
than in California. A number are becoming quite big, 
too. A tree in Perthshire, Scotland, 47 years planted is 
over 60 feet high, with a diameter of more than 4 feet. 
Another in County Tipperary, Ireland, 46 years planted 
is 80 feet high and 3 feet in diameter. For rapidity of 
growth, however, a tree at Studley Royal, Lord Ri- 
pon's estate in Yorkshire, probably exceeds most oth- 
ers. It has been 40 years planted and is 80 feet or more 
high, but with a smaller diameter than the older trees. 
Reverting to names : Other botanists soon asserted 
that the big tree was not generically distinct, but the 
same as Sequoia. I should not be astonished if some 
one of the genealogical investigators who are collect- 
ing, pickling and dyeing “material,” slicing and mount- 
ing it and boring with lenses into its innermost egg 
cells, do not find warranty for authorities who called 
the coast redwood a Taxodium — the species which 
Douglas often saw more than 300 feet high. 
The cellular investigations are becoming immense 
and are supposed to keep teaching — teaching — teach- 
ing, with but little care for planting. The Sequoias 
seem to be a very ancient type which during the car- 
boniferous period extended (together with Taxo- 
diums) over much of the northern hemisphere up to 
the arctic regions. 
I have tried for a long time to get a clear idea of 
the climate of the big tree groves — such as the monthly 
range of the wet and dry bulb thermometers from 
max. and min. readings at 7 a. m. and 3 p. m., the 
monthly rainfall, the percentage of humidity, baro- 
metric readings and the direction and velocity of the 
wind — with poor success, for up to 1900 the weather 
bureau had not a single station on those Sierras. They 
depend upon railway employes, and explain that the 
altitudes have “been taken from railroad surveys,” and 
“refer to the height of the track rather than the point 
at which rainfall and temperature observations are 
made,” which is a sparkling manifestation of genius 
no doubt, but not at all helpful to the planter. 
However, I select a place called Laporte with an alti- 
tude of 5,000 feet, maybe colder and wetter than the 
big-tree stations which are farther south, though often 
more elevated. The annual precipitation is stated as 
40.37 inches, very close to that of Biltmore, N. C., 
but the distribution is very different. The driest months 
are from March to October,- with falls varying from 
O. to a few iooths to 4.64 inches during May — the 
only wet summer month. The wettest months (?) are 
from November to February, with fall (whether of rain 
or snow is not stated) varying from 6.67 to 13.4 inches. 
The extreme annual range of temperature is given as 
8 to 91 degrees Fah. The latter figure identical with 
that of San Diego on the extreme south coast — which 
is extraordinary. The “Mean” (as they are called) 
temperatures given in the reports kindly sent are use- 
less to the cultivator, who must learn by experiment 
whether he can grow Sequoias or not. Generally they 
succumb east in a short time. S. gigantea attained to 
over 25 feet high at Rochester, N. Y., but is now un- 
derstood to be declining. 
Athrotaxis is a Tasmanian genus in 3 species. They 
have small scale like leaves much divided in A. selagi- 
noides. They are regular handsome growers, but only 
adapted to nearly frostless climates. 
Cryptomeria is a monotypic tree from Northern 
China and Japan. There are several varieties and oc- 
casionally fair (20 to 30 feet) specimens are seen as 
far north as Central New Jersey. They are handsome 
when in perfection. They grow best in moist sheltered 
places, but ripen their wood best in drier ones. 
Taxodium is credited with two species — the south- 
