THE COWTHORPE OAK. 
209 
The earliest data which we have was taken by Dr. Hunter 
about 1700. He gave the circumference on the ground at 78 
feet and the height as 80 feet. As the process of decay has gone 
on the tree has shrunk and settled into the ground somewhat, so 
that in 1893, according to John Clayton’s measurements, its girth 
was only 54 feet and three inches. The top main branches had 
died and been torn away by the wind and the center of the trunk 
had decayed, leaving a cavity of 9 by 13 feet. It still bears leaves 
and fruit but now the work of decay is so nearly accomplished 
that it seems impossible for the tree to survive much longer. 
The age of the Cowthorpe Oak has been a subject of great 
interest and speculation. Before the middle of last century De 
Candolle’s theory that trees never die of old age but would live 
forever if they could escape injury and disease was widely ac¬ 
cepted. He studied sections of a great many trees and decided 
that the average growth of any species could be determined by 
measuring the annual increase in diameter. By this system he 
estimated the rate of growth for the oak to be one-twelfth of an 
inch each year. While this theory was prevalent the age of the 
Cowthorpe Oak was computed by it and found to be 1600 years. 
This is the age which is generally accepted for the veteran tree. 
If the age of other large oaks cut while still sound be estimated 
by this theory and then be determined by a careful counting of 
the annual rings it will be found that facts do not sustain the 
theory. The yearly growth of a certain tree cannot be determined 
from the average growth of the species because no two indi¬ 
viduals grow alike and even the same tree increases more rapidly 
in some years than it does in others. Young trees grow 
faster than old ones. This cannot be accounted for by saying 
that as the tree gets larger the area is greater in proportion to the 
diameter, because it often happens that for a long period of years 
the annual rings will be of about the same width in spite of the 
increase in area. As the tree grows old they gradually become 
narrowed. 
An explanation for this is that as the young trunk grows the 
branches lengthen, bearing more twigs which would increase 
the leaf surface, thus the tree would be able to lay down more 
