are three trees, nearly equal in size, one of which measured in 1906 77 feet by 11 feet 5 inches. This[1] was 55 feet by 84 feet in 1891. At Hamwood, Co. Meath, a tree, said to have been planted in 1847, was 59 feet high by 11 feet in girth in 1905. At Woodstock, in Kilkenny, there is a tree, which in 1904 was 91 feet by 13 feet 3 inches. This[1] was 68 feet by 10 feet 4 inches in 1891. At Churchill, Armagh, a tree,[2] planted in a bog in 1862, was 60 feet high by 6½ feet in 1884; but had lost its leader several times. Henry did not see this tree on his visit to Churchill in 1904. At the Conifer Conference of 1891 good trees were also reported to be growing at Shane's Castle in Antrim, Clonbrock in Galway, Courtown in Wexford, and Powerscourt in Wicklow.
The largest tree of this species that I have seen in Europe is a well-shaped one, branching to the ground, on the Isola Madre in Lake Maggiore, which in 1906 was no less than 104 feet high by 14 feet 8 inches in girth.
Pardé[3] says that the trees at Les Barres were mostly killed to the ground in the winter of 1879–80, but have thrown up vigorous shoots which produce cones every year; and at Segrez I saw a tree which was killed in the winter of 1870-71 and afterwards threw up six or seven straight stems from the stool, which are now over 50 feet high.
Timber
The best timber, as a rule, is produced by trees growing on alluvial flats, that from trees growing on the slopes being hard and flinty. The sapwood, which is of no service, is whitish in colour and 1 or 2 inches in thickness. The heartwood varies in colour from light pink to dark mahogany, and is esteemed for many purposes. It is light in weight, soft, straight-grained, is easily worked; and although it requires much filling, is capable of taking a fine polish. Its durability is attested by the fact that trees which have lain for centuries in the forest have been taken to the sawmill and converted into useful lumber. Mr. D.N. M'Chesney says[4] that in Manila the wood has been found proof against the attacks of the white ant, together with that of Tsuga Albertiana and Libocedrus decurrens, while the timber of Pinus ponderosa, Picea Engelmanni, and the Douglas fir suffered badly from these destructive insects.
In Europe the Californian redwood has established a market for itself, but supplies have been steadily falling off for some years. It is, however, still shipped in considerable quantities to China, Japan, Honolulu, and Australia. In its native country it is employed for both exterior and interior fittings of houses, sleepers, electric light and telephone poles, shingles, tanks, and vats. Very frequently the grain is bold, wavy, and very handsome; and is in demand for ceilings and large panels. Some splendid examples were used for the decoration of the Californian Court at the St. Louis Exhibition of 1904. The large burrs which are not uncommon in some districts, when cut into slabs, make very fine table tops showing a mass of close small eyes of a deep red colour. A very large plank of the wood was exhibited at the World's Fair, Chicago, 1903, which measured
