THE HALL OF FAME FOR TREES 
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followers of Methodism throughout the world. Both 
Wesleys are known to have preached under the Wesley 
Oak, with British soldiers as their congregations. 
In addition to the General Sherman Sequoia, with its 
life span of forty centuries, California offers many other 
trees of historical and romantic interest. One of these 
is a tree of to-day, which tells a story of modern develop¬ 
ment in the Golden West—a story of the uncovering of 
agricultural riches surpassing the gold mines in their 
permanent value to the state. This tree, the Hilgard 
Chestnut, stands in front of Agricultural Hall, on the cam¬ 
pus of the University of California, where it rears its 
stately crown as a living memorial to Professor Hilgard, 
first dean of the College of Agriculture. Professor 
Hilgard’s work for the development of California’s 
amazing agricultural resources had much to do with the 
creation of the State’s almost fabulous wealth in farming; 
this tree is a grateful tribute to this distinguished man. The 
Chestnut was planted in 1885, and in the fall of 1922 
its branches covered an area more than 5° f ee t ' m diameter. 
America has many trees prized for their association 
with literature, as the Cambridge Elms, immortalized in 
story and poem, the Elms of New Haven and Princeton, 
made famous by intimate relationship with many of the 
nation’s most gifted men of letters, and the trees of 
Boston Common which have sheltered generations of 
literary celebrities. A worthy addition to the list, serving 
to link the genius of the old world with the spirit of the 
new, is the Shakespeare Memorial Oak, occupying a place 
of honor on the campus of the University of Rochester in 
the state of New York. This Oak was brought from 
Shakespeare’s home in Stratford-on-Avon, and was planted 
at Rochester April 23, 1864, in connection with the 
celebration of the tercentennial of Shakespeare’s birth. 
