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which the  Mariposa  and  Calaveras  are  chief. The euca- lyptus of Australia  is  a  taller  tree  than  the  sequoia gigantea of  California — Wellingtonea  gigantea  these trees were  once  called ;  but  this  could  not  be  tolerated in a  land  where  is  celebrated  the  4th  of  July,  and  so the  name  was  changed  to  Washingtonea ;  but  lately, arborists say  simply  sequoia  gigantea. Taking height, bulk, and  numbers  together,  if  not  the  tallest  and  old- est, we have  here  the  grandest  groups  of  forest  trees upon this  planet.

The Mariposa  grove,  which,  with  the  Yosemite valley was  given  by  congress  to  the  state  of  California for public  use  and  recreation,  is  situated  thirty  miles from Yosemite,  and  contains,  scattered  amono-  smaller trees, over  200  which  are  more  than  twelve  feet  in diameter. Sixty of  them,  measured  six  feet  from  the ground, have  diameters  of  from  27  to  67  feet,  and  in heio-ht  are  from  187  to  270  feet. The Grizzlv  Giant measures on  the  surface  93  feet  in  circumference. Through the  hollow  of  a  prostrate  trunk,  two  horse- men ride abreast  for  a  distance  of  100  feet. One hundred feet  above  the  ground,  a  trunk  which  is  there twenty feet  in  diameter,  puts  out  a  branch  six  feet  in thickness. The trees  are  straight,  with  gracefully tapering trunks,  fluted  bark  of  a  light  cinnamon  color, and small  coniform  tops. In the  Calaveras  grove there are  about  100  trees  of  the  larger  sort,  thirty  of which  measure  from  230  to  235  feet  in  height,  and from 30  to  45  feet  in  circumference  six  feet  from the ground. Five men  occupied  twenty -two  days  in felling  one  of  them,  which  was  accomplished  by  bor- ing through the  trunk  with  pump-augers. After it was  completely  severed,  wedges  had  to  be  driven  in on  one  side  to  overturn  it. This tree  is  estimated  to have  been  1,300  years  old;  its  bark  was  a  foot  and  a half  thick,  and  upon  its  stump,  which  six  feet  from the ground  has  a  diameter  of  twenty-seven  feet,  after squaring and  smoothing  it,  was  erected  a  pavilion  for dancing and  pleasure  parties.