HIGH TEMPERATURES AND EUCALYPTS 



37 



Table ,3. — Evaporation data — Converse Experiment Station (6000 feet elevation 

 in the San Bernardino Mountains.) 



The effect of these trying conditions upon all plant life was very 

 noticeable ; buds, young fruit, small fruits, and a large proportion of 

 the vegetable crop were more or less injured. The loss, however, was 

 confined to the season's crops ; except in the case of annuals, the heat 

 did not permanently injure mature plants. The heavy application of 

 water to some of the fields prevented a total loss, but the transpiration 

 systems of the plants were unable to meet the large demand suddenly 

 made upon them. 



This drought affected the eucalypts as noticeably as it did lIic 

 orchards and agricultural crops. The foliage of many eucalypts was 

 entirely killed ; this gave them the appearance of having experienced 

 a fire. Other trees were -only partially "burned," while still others in 

 protected situations were uninjured. The heat damage closely re- 

 sembled the damage done by frost in 1913, but, since it came in tlie 

 middle of the busy field season, the people did not destroy their trees, 

 and the most severely injured ones were given a chance of recovery. 



The eft'ect of the high temperatures upon the trees varied decidedly 

 from place to place. At first this variation was thought to be the 



