26 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



More About the Eucalyptus Growing Romance 



A few days ago Chief Forester Graves of 

 llie United States Forest Service gave out 

 an interview on eucalyptus-growing in which 

 he said that during the past few years tliere 

 has been a great impulse given the planting 

 of this wood in California. Eucalyptus is 

 an Australian tree, which has been introduced 

 for planting in southern California and in 

 portions of Florida and Texas. There are a 

 large number of species, and some of them 

 grow with great rapidity when planted on 

 suitable soils and in a favorable climate. 



Mr. Graves states that within the last few 

 years there have been organized a considerable 

 number of companies for planting eucalyptus 

 on a large scale, and that many of these com- 

 panies are advertising the sale of stock ex- 

 tensively. He thinks that many of them have 

 planned their operations along lines which will 

 bring commercial success, but that others are 

 believed to be estimating returns far beyond 

 reasonable expectations. Some of them make 

 claims regartling the possible yield per acre 

 within ten or twelve years, which are believed 

 to be very extravagant. Some of them main- 

 tain that within this short period a product 

 can be secured equal in value and price to 

 Australian eucalyptus obtained from the vir- 

 gin forest. 



He says the Forest Service has been re- 

 peatedly misquoted in circulars issued by 

 eucalyptus companies, and an effort has been 

 made to place the government behind these 

 extravagant statements. He states that the 

 Forest Service will not allow false statements 

 of the government's estimate of the possibil- 

 ities of eucalyptus to go unchallenged, and 

 avers that it is unfortunate for the bona fide 

 companies that there are irresponsible concerns 

 that are likely to bring discredit upon an en- 

 terprise that might very likely be worthy. 



Mr. Graves states that the Forest Service 

 is attempting to encourage eucalyptus-planting 

 on conservative lines and that it is now con- 

 ducting a series of experiments in the national 

 forests of southern California to settle the>dis- 

 puted question as to how large a yield may be 

 obtained from eucalyptus-planting. The re- 

 sult of these investigations will form a basis 

 for determining the commercial possibilities 

 of the tree. 



The forestry Society of California 

 The Record is in receipt of a number of 

 bulletins from the Forestry Society of Cali- 

 fornia relating to eucalyptus use, planting, 

 etc. It will be recalled that a large number 

 of the members of this society are interested 

 in eucalyptus promotion companies. The bul- 

 letins are deficient in data of value to those 

 seeking information covering the value of in- 

 vestments in eucalyptus-planting pursuits. 

 They are full of inconse<iuential letters from 

 sundry people, but in no instance do they 

 demonstrate that even a single eucalyptus 

 tree has ever been grown in California which 

 will sbow a value of $100 to $125 per thou- 



sand in the form of lumber or even a modicum 

 of that amount. 



The pamphlets analyze virgin forest growth 

 of eucalyptus of Australia, and carry the in- 

 ference that this type of growth can be re- 

 produced in the same form by artificial plant- 

 ing in California. 



How the Daily Press Is Worked 



The Forestry Society of California is a good 

 advertiser and it has succeeded in working off 

 a good deal of its literature in the daily press. 

 As an example of this the following editorial 

 is quoted from the Louisville (Ky.) Journa! 

 of June 23: 



The Wonderful Eucalyptus 



In the fast-growing eucalyptus, imported from 

 Australia, the people of California helieve thtj 

 liave found a tree which will solve the forestry 

 problem in that state. The secretary ot the 

 Forestry Society of California tells somethng 

 about this remarkable tree in an article lu th.. 

 June number of American Forestry. 



These trees, we are told, "rush in and grow 

 where other trees are helpless to root ; are cut 

 down and are again reproduced from the hacked 

 stamps." More wonderful still is the informa- 

 tion that "the second growth • * • lurmshes a 

 better nuality of wood than the first, and tbrou^li 

 time indefinite the tree stumps will repiodiRi'. 

 and each growth is superior to the ones prececJ- 

 iug " The trees "rival the garden weeds m then- 

 rapidity of growth" : they compare favorably 

 with the hardwoods in strength, beauty and tex- 

 ture ■ they meet the demand for every purpose 

 for which wood is used, and "it is said that the 

 eucalyptus never dies a natural death. 



In the face of such statements, one may 

 scarcely doubt the secretary's assertion that tue 

 culture of the eucalyptus means more to the state 

 of California than its gold mines, and that it 

 "will reforest the country for the current time 

 and tor futurity." A wonderful tree, to be sure . 

 After reading the secretary's glowing description, 

 it is decidedly disappointing to run upon a foot- 

 note by the editor reciting that the eucalyptus 

 "is fastidious in regard to climatic conditions and 

 can only be grown in certain limited areas of the 

 Southwest and possibly Florida." Cannot Mr. 

 Luther Burbank or some other tree wizard do 

 something for the eucalyptus to make it adapt- 

 able to areas less limited? , , .^ , . 



If every state in the Union had its eucalyptus, 

 then the people of the United States might bid 

 the timber destroyers do their worst. A tree 

 that is absolutely nonkillable by any ordinary 

 method is about the sort of a tree that would 

 answer the current demand in most American 

 communities. 



Eucalyptus a Coining Fraud 

 The Timber News of London under the 

 above title handles the eucalyptus proposition 

 without gloves, as will be noted by the fol- 

 lowing quotation : 



In California there are today a number of 

 people endeavoring to exploit the eucalyptus tree 

 as having valuable properties and likely to be of 

 excellent service for the cabinet trade, carnage 

 and wagon building, .and, in fact, general pur- 

 poses -"^s it is possible, now that a regular line 

 of steamers is running between the California 

 seaboard and British ports, some of this wood 

 will be sent over on consignment to the Liver- 

 pool and London markets, we would advise every 

 importer and merchant who has the wood offered 

 to him to decline it, and without thanks. Speak- 

 ing from firsthand knowledge, the eucalyptus In 

 the country where it is best known, Australia, 

 is put to no other purpose than for fuel. No 

 farmer or squatter in the colonies would even 

 dream of trying to make a post and rail fence of 

 the rubbish, for rubbish, viewed in a commercial 

 light, it distinctly is. 



Some of the Advertisements 



Leslie's Weekly of New York in its issue 

 of July 14 injects into the reading matter of 

 its leading financial article an advertisement 

 of the Eucalyptus-Mahogany Growers', Inc.. 

 of New York, offering for sale six per cent 

 guaranteed preferred stock. In the article 

 in question the writer deprecates the misfor- 



tune that has befallen ' ' widows and small 

 'diildren ' ' by reason of investment in the de- 

 funct United Wireless Telegraph Company, 

 but by inference lends its aid to the Euca- 

 lyptus-Mahogany Growers, Inc., in a para- 

 graph in which it says: "The Twentieth 

 Century Forestry Magazine, which reports the 

 forest growth of eucalyptus, will be sent you 

 without charge if you will write to the Euca- 

 lyptus-Mahogany Growers, Inc., 357 Fifth 

 Avenue, New York, and mention Jasper. Any 

 of my readers can have a free copy. ' ' 

 The Record's Aims 

 The Record has no desire to defeat the 

 aims of even promotion companies in the 

 growing of eucalyptus if there is any merit 

 and value in eucalyptus culture. This pub- 

 lication wants to give all sides of this ques- 

 tion equal prominence and for that reason 

 gives place to the following communication 

 from Charles Collins Buck of 912 Hibernia 

 Bank Building, New Orleans: 



New Orleans, La., July IC, 1010. 

 Mr. H. H. Gibson, Editor Habdwood Recohd, 

 Chicago. , . 



Dear Sir : Believing that your conclusions m 

 regard to i?ucalyptus-planting, as expressed in 

 your edition of July Itl, are not well founded, 

 1 venture to send this article, based exclusively 

 on United States forestry data, and the letters 

 which vou published, hoping that your sense of 

 fair play will induce its publication with equal 

 prominence in a future edition. 



In one place vou say, "The durability of the 

 wood is an unknown quantity, but the evidence 

 of timber history is that every fast-growing wood 

 also decays rapidly." The contrary view of this 

 with regard to eucalyptus is fully supported by 

 the statement of White Brothers that "This 

 lumber we sell for *1U0 to ?12o per thousand 

 feet." and that of the Dieckmann Hardwood 

 Company that "There is no doubt that the wood 

 has merit, being bard, attractive and resembling 

 very closely hickory and other white woods." 

 The objection urged by the latter to its uneven 

 color is entirely attributable to the fact that 

 there are over 150 known varieties of eucalyptus, 

 all differing more or less in color, and it is not 

 uncommon for different varieties to be known 

 and called by similar names. This is a readily 

 curable objection. Surely no common lumber 

 would sell for $100 to *11!5 per thousand feet. 



In another place you say, "There is no com- 

 mercial or botanical authority for coupling the 

 term eucalyptus with mahogany. The two woods 

 have no le'lation to each other in any way." On 

 the contrary. Bulletin No. 35, of the United 

 States Forestry Division, out of forty-one varie- 

 ties specifically named and described, calls three 

 of them "mahogany" — i. e., Boiryoides, or bastard 

 mahogany : Jieainifera, or red mahogany, and 

 Robusia or swamp mahogany. Of the latter 

 the oflicial report is that "The wood is a rich 

 red color, resembling true mahogany, and is very 

 heavy," and quotes -Mr. Maiden, who says, in his 

 Useful Australian Plants: "This is one of the 

 most valuable hardwoods of the colony (New 

 South Wales I. It is a rich red color, resembling 

 true inalioganv a good deal in appearance. It is 

 a grand furniture wood where its weight is nor. 

 against it. • * * It is one of the most durable 

 timbers we have." 



As all three of the above varieties require a 

 moist situation, they have been little grown in 

 California, where the Eucaliiptus liostratu or 

 red gum (known as eucalyptus mahogany i ha» 

 been largely planted, because "while it prefers 

 moist ruer bottoms, with an equable ciimatu, 

 it will endure much heat, severe frost and con 

 siderable drought" (U. S. For. Bulletin A;. 



'"'I'he bulletin goes on to say (same pagel • 

 "The red gum is one of the leading forest trees 

 of the Australian continent." Baron von Mueller 

 says of it that it is "perhaps the most importani. 

 of the whole genus !'■ Mr. Maiden says. ' I do 

 not suppose that there is a person resident in 

 Victoria or South Australia for six months who 

 does not well know what red gum is, ' and adds, 

 "It is the tree which produces directly to the 

 colonv bv far the most revenue of all our trees. 

 On page' 13 the same bulletin says of eucalypts . 

 "Thev are known in their native home as gum 

 trees, mahogany trees, box trees, string.y barks, 

 and bv quite a number of other names, the first 

 being 'the most common appellation. (Bulletin 



