Evidence of Climatic Effects in the Annual Rings of Trees

The first substantial comparison between rings and rain with which the author is acquainted was made by the astronomer, J. C. Kapteyn of Holland, in i88o and i88i on oaks in the Rhine region. Professor Kapteyn has recently prepared and published a brief pamphlet on the subject.2 A similar comparison between the growth of the great sequoia (Sequoia gigantea), and rainfall is shown in figure I in which the curve for rainfall is from Huntington,3 from data at Fresno, 70 miles away and 5,000 feet lower in elevation. In spite of widely different conditions there is evident resem-