Life in a Tree Trunk

This is one of the big trees of California, and i> an accurate en- graving from a photograph. The tree is alive and is enjoying the best of health. The scar which admitted the bacteria was caused by a for- est fire. ,

Life in a Tree Trunk

BY D. W. PARRATT

"Is the woody part of an old tree trunk alive all the way through?" A little lad sprung this question on his big brother the other evening. "Where did you get that notion from?" asked the elder. "From school," came the reply. "Well," said the brother, somewhat surprised, "are you alive allthe way through ?" "Certainly," replied the boy. "Then, so is a big tree trunk," concluded the young man. Next morning little Thad triumphantly returned to school with the question solved. Imagine his feelings when the teacher announced that nothing more would be said about the tree question until every person in the room had seen a certain tree upon the school grounds. "This tree," said the good lady, "may give you the proper answer to Jthe question. See if you can all find the tree and from it the answer." "I know the answer now," interrupted Thad.

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"All right," responded the teacher, "just keep it a secret until allhave seen the tree." The first recess period witnessed the boys and girls examin- ing every tree upon the premises. But before long all were grouped about a medium sized poplar in front of the building. They had found the tree. On one side of it was a good sized open- ing extending from the ground some five or six feet up the trunk. This opening showed that the trunk was completely hollow, and yet the tree on the outside was apparently as alive as could be. Thad looked dumfounded, as he gazed at the hollow center. He could plainly see that this live tree was dead on the inside and was not alive all the way through like he was. While the pupils were thus engaged, the teacher was busy writing the following questions upon the blackboard ready to con- t me the work :

"1. Which part of the tree is the more alive, and why do you think so? Which part is less alive, and why do you think so? "2. Are all big trees rotten at the inside? Why do you think "3. so? Which are and which are not? "4. Are all trees, big and little, alive throughout their trunks? If not, which are? Which are not? "5. Which is better for the tree, a solid center or a decayed center? Why? "6. What is meant by filling a tree ?" The first two questions were, of course, readily answered for all could easily see that the inside of the tree in front of the school was perfectly dead and rotted away. Only the outside of the trunk remained and since the tree was still alive this must be the live part. Someone, too, remarked that when the outside of a tree is cut all the way around the tree dies. "This," he said, "proves that the outside is the live part." After further discussion it was concluded that all big trees are dead on the inside and that

the sap flows through the part of the tree trunk that is toward the outside. Of course not all big tree trunks are rotten on the inside like the one examined. If they were it would be impossible to get any good lumber or timber from them with which to build houses, bridges, and the like. Only those trees having met with some misfortune or accident which permitted disease germs to get into the inner part of the tree trunks have rotted on the inside. If you have not noticed carefully, you may yet be surprised to see how many of our common shade trees are thus diseased. In young trees the sap is still flowing throughout all the wood and therefore they are alive all the way through. It is seldom that one finds such a tree with diseased center wood. Trees with decayed centers are not nearly so strong as those