I stumbled over one of them. They seem
to grow from the roots, and are quite soft and reddish in color.

_No. 3._

I have found twenty-two Bald Cypresses in Trenton; they are all
beautiful conical trees, and seem to grow well in almost any soil, as I
have found some in very wet places and some in dry, sandy soil. They
look from their position as though they had been planted out, and as I
have found none in the woods around the town, they are probably not
native in this region. They are from 50 to nearly 100 feet tall. I found
one 96 feet high. They are all of a very symmetrical, conical form, and
pointed at the top; in no case has the trunk divided into branches, and
on the old trees the trunk enlarges curiously near the ground, the lower
portion being very rough with ridges. The bark is very thick and rough,
and is so soft that a pin can readily be pushed through it to the wood.
The branches are very numerous and small, and are not regularly arranged
in whorls like most of the narrow-leaved trees. These branches all slope
upward from the trunk, the ends having a tendency to bend downward and
make delicate drooping spray, with very small, linear, entire leaves
only 1/2 inch long. Four of the largest trees show fruit, and each of
these has only about a half-dozen of the globular cones. Only a few of
the trees--those in the wettest places--have the knobs on the ground
near the base.

_No. 4._

The Bald Cypress (_Taxodium distichum_) is a common tree, a native of
the Gulf States, growing very abundantly in the wettest swamps of that
region. The northern limit of the tree in its wild state is said to be
central Delaware and southern Illinois, but it can be successfully
cultivated in the region around Boston. There are several named
varieties, one with the leaves but slightly spreading from the spray,
and the whole of the branches showing a decided weeping tendency, so
that it is called the Weeping Cypress. The knobs from the roots, called
Cypress-knees, grow very abundantly around all the trees in the southern
swamps. These grow to the height of from 2 to 4 feet, and are very
thick, sometimes as much as 5 feet. They are hollow, and are
occasionally used for bee-hives.

It is said to be a broad, flat-topped tree, spreading its top over other
trees. This seems very strange, as none of those in Trenton, N. J., show
such a tendency, but are quite spire-shaped. The wood is light, soft,
straight-grained, and is said to