In San Francisco, encircled by a circus tent of ample dimensions, is a section of the largest tree in the world--exceeding the diameter of the famous tree of Calaveras by five feet. This monster of the vegetable kingdom was discovered in 1874, on Tule River, Tulare County, about seventy-five miles from Visalia. At some remote period its top had been broken off by the elements, or some unknown forces, yet when it was discovered it had an elevation of 240 feet. The trunk of the tree was 111 feet in circumference, with a diameter of 35 feet 4 inches. The section on exhibition is hollowed out, leaving about a foot of bark and several inches of the wood. The interior is 100 feet in circumference and 30 feet in diameter, and it has a seating capacity of about 200. It was cut off from the tree about twelve feet above the base, and required the labor of four men for nine days to chop it down. In the center of the tree, and extending through its whole length, was a rotten core about two feet in diameter, partially filled with a soggy, decayed vegetation that had fallen into it from the top. In the center of this cavity was found the trunk of a little tree of the same species, having perfect bark on it, and showing regular growth. It was of uniform diameter, an inch and a half all the way; and when the tree fell and split open, this curious stem was traced for nearly 100 feet. The rings in this monarch of the forest show its age to have been 4,840 years. Where Did the Term Yankees Originate? This is a word said to be a corruption of Yengees, the Indian pronunciation of English, or of the French “Anglais,” when referring to the English Colonists. It was first applied to the New Englanders by the British soldiers as a term of reproach, later by the English to Americans generally, and still later to the people of the North by the Southerners. How Far Does the Air Extend? It is, perhaps, generally known that enveloping the earth is a layer of air fifty or more miles in thickness. Just how thick this layer is we do not know, but we do know that it extends many miles from the earth. You may assure yourselves of this in a very simple manner by watching the shooting stars that may be seen on any clear night. These are nothing but masses of rocks that give off light only when they have been made red-hot by friction with the air in their rapid flight. The fact that we often see these stars while they are still many miles from the earth proves to us that the air through which they are passing extends to that height. What Makes Us Feel Hungry?