276 Bulletin 38. 



the tree is impaired by adverse conditions. In most oases, it is 

 desirable to prepare root room in a hardpan soil by blasting, as a 

 growing tree will otherwise soon become cramped for room. 

 When caliche is found within two or three feet, it is well to drill 

 three or four feet further and shake things up with a stick of No. 

 2 Giant on top of a large handful of black powder. 



Hedges. The pomegranate takes vigorous hold of rocky 

 ground, as does also the California privet ( Ligust) 11m japonicum) 

 but both require attention with regard to water in the hot season. 

 The privet is especially beautiful for this purpose, evergreen, 

 vigorous and easily and cheaply propagated by cuttings from the 

 established plants. 



Vines. On a south exposure the trumpet creeper thrives, 

 yielding a mass of green foliage and orange-red blossoms in sum- 

 mer, but rather bare and unsightly in winter. The Virginia 

 creeper will also endure our summers, but its near relative, Am- 

 pelopsis Veitchii, is a handsomer and cleaner vine with an ivy- 

 like leaf. Ampelopsis Veitchii does best in shady places. The 

 honeysuckle ( Lonicera japonica) also thrives on south exposures, 

 as does the English ivy in sheltered places, but the latter is per- 

 haps less adapted to this climate even when protected from the 

 heat. 



Lawn plants. Bermuda grass, perhaps, heads the list as a 

 summer-grower and drouth-resister. Its harsh texture, and the 

 difficulty of killing it, however, do not make it many friends. 

 Alfalfa makes a beautiful summer-green, stands prolonged drouth 

 when once established and will force its roots deeply into hard- 

 pan soil, thus preparing them for subsequent planting. "Sour" 

 clover (yellow sweet-clover, bitter melilot) fulfills the same pur- 

 pose, but grows in winter. A very promising plant for lawns in 

 this section is Lippia repens, a near relative of heliotrope and 

 verbena. This plant is a rapid grower, matting closely to the 

 ground and spreading like a strawberry plant, striking root from 

 the joints as it runs. It is evergreen, full of bloom in summer, is 

 a drouth-resister, prospers best in the hottest places, and stands 

 the frosts of this locality fairly well. The lawn of the future, 

 however, is doubtless to be composed of native grasses. In the 

 most interesting struggle for existence between two or three score 



