76 



ARBORICULTURE 



EUCALVPTUis tri;k. 



At home of Mrs. Rodgers, Watsonville. California, 13.') 



feel high; 17 feet liirili; 3 feet from ground; 



:iH years from seed. 



done away with if trees were planted to 

 hold in check by their leaf deposits, the 

 surface water that now finds its way into 

 the flood as soon as it falls. Just what 

 influence such forests have upon the rain- 

 fall may not be readily determined. But 

 that it has an im|)ortant influence seems 

 a well established fact. For many sec- 

 tions in Texas, Xew Mexico and Ari- 

 zona, in dry and treeless regions ])rac- 

 tically abandoned to jack-rabbits and 

 desert growths, useless alike for man or 

 beast, the liucalyptits wouhl find it.s most 

 useful office. The state and h'ederal 

 governments should take the matter up 

 in this direction at least, and by estab- 

 lishing extensive forest plants in such 

 places, bestow a great benefit upon future- 

 generations. 



In the open country, and along jniblic 

 roads, where land is not so scarce or 

 valuable as to render the shade and root 

 encroachment on the adjacent few rods 

 of material moment, and in hilly lots and 

 marshy sjxjts, by all means encourage the 

 planting to this rapidly growing tree. 



\\'. r,. Benton. 



" < )ur corres[x>ndent, Mr. Bentc^n, gives 

 some interesting fads in regard ti> the 

 Australian Blue Cium, which gives prom- 

 ise of being a very profitable and valu- 

 able timber for the states south of I^it. 

 35 degrees and 5 degrees farther north 

 in California. 



The Eiicalyf>tus was brought from 

 .\ustralia and jjlanted in California about 

 1S65 to ic'^jo. and is proven to be 

 well adapted to subtropical regions of 

 America. 



During my visit to the Pacific Coast in 

 1000, I found that little importance was 

 attached to the tree by citizens generally, 

 and began an investigation la.sting two 

 months, in which I found many facts to 

 ])rove that the tree was of vast impor- 

 tance, but its application as an economic 

 wood was confined to a meager few who 

 had learned its value. 



At Berkeley, on the grounds of the 

 L'niversity of' California, is the most 

 extensive plantation that I ever saw in 

 forest fonn. These trees are upon quite 

 rolling land, not irrigated, and prove 

 what can be accomplished nnder almost 

 arid conditions. But the largest trees, 

 with most wonderful growth, were on 

 level lands, which were to a greater or 

 less extent sui)i)lied with water during 

 the early period of their growth. 



There is an avenue of lincalyptus, 

 glob III is, on both sides of Lincoln ave- 

 nue, San Jose, at "The Willows," which 

 were planted by the road sujx-rvisor in 

 1872. In twenty-eight years these trees 

 attained a height of 120 to 175 feet. 



Twelve exceeded ten feet in girth, five 

 exceeded eight and one-half feet girth, 

 three were twelve and one-half feet girth, 

 five were eleven feet girth. Each would 

 make four logs sixteen feet long. 



Mr. James W. (iillespie of San Jose 

 has used much of the wood in wagon 

 works, for which it is admirably adapted, 

 ha\ing much the character of hickory, 

 which must be transported across the 

 Continent for use in California. 



Mr. Gillespie was filling a very large 

 order from an eastern firm, for telegraph 

 insulator pins, using the inferior por- 

 tions of the tree in this way. The elec- 

 tric works made tests of the strength of 

 lincalyptus, finding it to be 30 per cent 



