62 



ARBORICULTLRE 



Inquiries and Correspondence. 



FROM ROME. 



We have a letter desiring to know what 

 American trees will prohably succeed at 

 an elevation of 4.000 feet in Italy. 



It was a special wish to try Sequoia 

 scniperi'ircns, the California red\yood. 

 and inquirv was made to ascertain if 

 Catalpa would thrive at that point. 



REPLY. 



Sequoia senipen-irens, or redwood, as 

 at is termed in lumberman's parlance, is 

 indigenous to the low coast range of 

 •California, where the fogs from the 

 Pacific Ocean afford sufficient humulity. 

 •In no place does the range of this tree 

 exceed the limit of a few miles from 

 the ocean, usually from ten to twenty 

 •miles in width, 'extending along the 

 coast some two hundred miles. The alti- 

 •tude is not great, and the trees do not 

 •survive in the more arid portions of 

 California. 



It is not at all likely these mammoth 

 trees would thrive either at Rome or 

 higher upon the mountains, especially in 

 a cHmate less moist than that of Cali- 

 fornia's coast region. 



There is a remarkable peculiarity of 

 Sequoia semperznrens in its habit of 

 growth. The trees are readily ])ropo- 

 gated from seed, under proper conditions, 

 yet in nature the usual method of repro- 

 duction is from dormant buds at base 

 of the stump. When a tree was blown 

 down, or fell as its period of existence 

 was reached, several shoots pushed u])- 

 ward from the circumference of the 

 stum]), anfl. of course, in a circle. These 

 in time became fully grown, six. ten or 

 a dozen feet in diameter. In after years, 

 as these trees have fallen, each would 

 have a circle of trees surrounding it. 

 Thus, the redwood is found in groups 

 close together. Few seem to have been 

 started from seed. 



There are few places in the United 

 States where growers have met with 

 success with this delicate, yet enormous, 



tree. In Europe, especially moist Eng- 

 land, there are some growing. 



The Rocky Mountains have some of 

 the finest conifers of the world. These 

 are perfectly hardy, and are growing ui 

 almost e\-erv part of the United States, 

 and doubtless will succeed at your villa. 

 The beautiful Colorado blue spruce. 

 Picea pungcns, is one of the best. Seed- 

 lings from this tree vary greatly in color- 

 ing, some have a silvery brightness, 

 others a deep steel blue, while a majority 

 are of plainer green. 



Nurserymen graft from the choicest 

 trees and thus have them uniform. Con- 

 color is a very handsome, hardy conifer 

 from Colorado. 



Abies Douglassi, Douglass spruce, com- 

 mon to the Rocky Mountains, and Pinus 

 Ponderosa will probably succeed. This 

 is a verv large tree. Piinis Moiitivui, 

 Dwarf Aiountain Pine, has a handsome 

 round head, growing from three to four 

 feet high only. 



There is little doubt but all of these 

 will succeed in Italy. 



In regard to Catalpa speciosa, I do 

 not know where to find the limit of its 

 possibilities. Where failure has been 

 reported in the United States it has been 

 found that tender varieties of catalpa 

 have been planted through misunder- 

 standing the different kinds. Only one 

 variety, speciosa, possesses any merit as 

 a timber tree. It should be experimented 

 with. 



THE EUCALYPTLS. 



^rhe Brock-ille American of October 9 

 has an editorial upon the Blue Gum of 

 Australia, in which the editor makes an 

 error in supiKjsing the Eucalyptus would 

 grow in Indiana. 



This is a tropical tree, and will grow 

 onlv in southern climes. 



In our next number we shall have a 

 lengthv article, with illustrations, show- 

 ing the value of this Australian tree for 

 the South. 



