AMONG THE TREES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 



233 



Springs says that the Indians had a cere- 

 mony of burning a palm on the death of 

 a relative that, with its smoke, their 

 prayers as incense might he wafted 

 heavenward. 



The trees which excite most admira- 

 tion from newcomers in California are 

 the orange, lemon and grape fruit trees 

 — the great orchards with long, straight 

 rows of round, symmetrical trees, their 

 dark, glossy green alight with golden 

 glohes and waxy blossoms, often on the 

 selfsame tree, and the single tree in a 



phrases is gained from the sight of an 

 olive grove side by side with a patch of 

 young blue gums, shimmering as with 

 electric gleams in the sunlight, against 

 the dusky green of the mountain back- 

 ground. 



Blue gums are of the Eucalyptus tribe. 

 A California tree article with the Euca- 

 lyptus left out would be like — no, we 

 will not inflict the Hamlet comparison; 

 but this tall, straight Australian, so con- 

 spicuous in every Southern California!! 

 landscape, is too manifold in phases of 



ROWS OF ORANGE TREES, OLIVE GROVES AND BLUE GUMS ON THE HILLSIDE. 



dooryard, so loaded with frnit that even 

 the seemingly exaggerated picture pos- 

 tals are almost outdone. 



After the first enthusiasm over these 

 brilliant color schemes, the traveller of 

 artistic taste will have time to enjoy the 

 softer coloring of the olive groves in the 

 hollows of sunny hillsides, their finely 

 cut, silver gray foliage ( much.handsomer 

 than that of the European olive), gives a 

 vivid meaning to the term "olive ^-reen." 

 Electric greens and electric blues ! A 

 fresh idea of the meaning- of these 



interest for the limits of this article. We 

 seem to hear faint echoes of the editorial 

 cry, "Condense! Condense!" So the 

 tree of the ragged bark may step into 

 another article and give place to his 

 rival in the interest of tourists, the pep- 

 per tree. 



This South American tree, so beautiful 

 and graceful that many streets of the 

 southern cities are chiefly adorned with 

 her sweening-, finely cut folia p-e and red 

 berries, preserves the vivid freshness of 

 her green even in dusty summer time. 



