Rensselaer Journal, Volume 10, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 March 1901 — Preserving the Giant Redwoods [ARTICLE]

Preserving the Giant Redwoods

For its action in appropriating a quarter of a million dollars to be spent in buying one of the few remaining groves of giant redwoods, or sequoias, the California legislature deserves the thanks of the country. The giant trees, the largest of which tower up more than 350 feet into the air and measure 100 feet in circumference at the base, are unique, says Chicago Tribune. Within the last twenty-five years many of them have been cut down to satisfy the greed of lumbermen, who for the sake of the half million or more feet of sound inch lumber which each of the giants contains are willing to destroy what it has taken thousands of years to develop. Even on the two redwood groves which are owned by the United States sawmills are at work and are rapidly ruining the trees which they do not entirely destroy. Authorities agree that the great trees in these Sieves run in age from two to five thousuad years. They are survivors of past conwt’qns and seem to have almost lost the power of reproducing themselves. (Government foresters who have made a cartAti. study of the groves report that only a few redwood saplings are to be found, under the most favorable it will take thousands of years for tAgm to reach anything like the size oft their huge ancestors. The state of CaSfqrnia already owns one tract of lard, which includes the Mariposa grove, and the new appropriation will enable it to secure and to protect from the hands of vandals a large portion of remaining territory on which the big trees are found. It Is much to be regretted that congress did not take notion at its last session which would preserve for posterity the giant trees which remain on land belongin< the government y

It is a remarkable fact that th* Chameleon, when blindfolded, loss* tie power to change its hues, and th* • Ua- e body remains of a uniform tint