i6 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



AMERICAN FOREST TREES. 



Eucalyptus. 

 Eucalyptus Globulus — Lab. 



In the year 1856 the eucal3Ttus tree was 

 first introduced into the United States. It 

 belongs to a family which is native to Aus- 

 tralia and neighboring islands, 

 and which contains many species 

 that have been widely trans^ 

 planted; in this country, how- 

 ever, none of them have suc- 

 ceeded remarkably well outside 

 of Florida and California; in 

 the latter state they flourish 

 with wonderful facility. The 

 species Eu-cali/'ptvs globulus is 

 the one commonly meant when 

 speaking of the trees which 

 grow in the United States. It is 

 the blue gum of Australia, 

 which is also sometimes called 

 the stringy-bark, iron-bark, grey 

 gum and bastard-box. 



In the semi-tropical parts of 

 Florida and southern California, 

 as well as along the Gulf in Tex- 

 as, and parts of Arizona, climat- 

 ic conditions are such as favor 

 the best growth of eucalyptus, 

 although the trees must be con- 

 fined to regions which are free 

 from biting frosts and sudden 

 changes. If owners of barren 

 land in such sections could be 

 brought to realize the high value 

 of the eucalyptus and the ease 

 with which it can be cultivated 

 successfully, it could be made a 

 valuable acquisition. 



The flowers of eucalyptus are 

 beautiful and sweet, furnishing 

 ample material for bees to work 

 with. Its leaves are exquisitely 

 shaded into blue, gray or green, 

 those of the young trees being 

 oval and stalkless and of a de- 

 cidedly bluish tinge; as they 

 grow older, stems appear, and 

 the leaves elongate and change 

 their shape and color to a con- 

 siderable degree. The bark is a 

 striking feature of the tree; it 

 is gray, smooth in places, and 

 in others stringy and easily 

 stripped off. The fruit of 

 eucalyptus is a nut. 



Eucalyptus oil and eucalyptol, 

 which are distilled from the 

 leaves, are valuable for their 

 medicinal properties, and are ex- 

 tensively used in the treatment 

 of many disorders, particularly 

 those of the throat. One ton of leaves will 

 yield about 500 ounces of oil. The manu- 

 facture of these remedies forms quite an in- 

 dustry in regions where the trees grow in 

 abundance. 



FIFTT-SIXTH PAPEK. 



The tree is especially noted for its great 

 size, rapid growth, tough, durable wood, and 

 its beneficial effect upon the health of people 

 living in regions which would be damp and 

 iiialnrial were it not for the fact that its 



EUCALYPTUS OR BLUE GUM, C.\LIFOItNI.\. 



great root system acts as a drain, removing 

 miasma and otherwise improving the land. 

 To this is due the Spanish name "fever 

 tree," which is applied to it in southern 

 Europe. Regardless of this feature the eu- 



calyptus adapts itself well to dry, rocky hill- 

 sides, or other diverse conditions. Not the 

 least of its excellent qualities is its remark- 

 able beauty; it grows very tall and large, 

 with graceful habit, richly loaded branches 

 and feathery, shaded leaves, ever- 

 green and ever restlessly shifting 

 hither and thither, even though 

 no apparent breeze is stirring. 

 The recorded dry weight of 

 eucalyptus wood is about forty- 

 five pounds to the cubic foot. 

 It has an astringent state, and 

 when being worked has an odor 

 resembling that of acetic acid. 

 It burns well, and the embers 

 glow in still air. The wood is 

 moderately fine grained, the sur- 

 face bright, with open pores, 

 readily visible, and forming in 

 oblique, straggling lines. In 

 color the wood is a pale straw, 

 pinkish or brownish, with red- 

 dish-white sapwood. A number 

 of California homes are finished 

 in eucalyptus, and one, at "Wat- 

 son^-ille, is particularly hand- 

 some; the wood takes an exquis- 

 ite finish and is worthy of more 

 extensive use for interior work. 

 One valuable characteristic 

 of eucalyptus is that it is ex- 

 tremely durable under water and 

 in the ground, so that it is par- 

 ticularly desirable in building 

 wharves, and is useful as paving 

 blocks, railroad ties, posts, tele- 

 graph poles and the like. The 

 wood is specially adapted to the 

 manufacture of piles on account 

 of its long straight stem, as well 

 as its resistance to rot and to the 

 attacks of teredos and other 

 marine creatures. On the Pacific 

 coast eucalyptus or blue gum piles 

 last twice as long as do those 

 made from other woods — red- 

 wood and Douglas spruce, for 

 example. Whole piers in south- 

 ern California are made of it, 

 and the demand for them is now 

 becoming much greater than the 

 existing groves can supply, al- 

 though as long ago as 1S74 

 there were said to be 1,000,000 

 specimens in the state. 



With regard to the rapid 

 growth of eucalyptus, it may be 

 said that certain species are 

 without doubt the fastest grow- 

 ing trees in the world. The 

 Bureau of Forestry reports that in one grove 

 near Los Angeles, set in 1885 and cut for 

 fuel in 1893, there were in July, 1900, some 

 trees two feet in diameter and many over 

 one hundred feet in height. A seventeen- 



