XIX. 



MY BLUE GUM GROVE. 



One of the first things I did on getting settled 

 on my ranch, the second time I was in California, 

 was to get a wagon and go down to my euca- 

 lyptus grove for a load of the pale green aro- 

 matic boughs with which to trim my attic study ; 

 for their fragrance is delightful and their delicate 

 blue-green tone lends itself readily to decorative 

 purposes. When the supply needed replenish- 

 ing, I rode down on Mountain Billy and carried 

 home the sweet-smelling branches on the saddle. 



The grove served a more utilitarian purpose, 

 however. The eucalyptus is an Australian tree, 

 with narrow straight-hanging leaves, and its 

 rapid growth makes it useful for firewood. A 

 tree will grow forty feet in four years, and when 

 cut off a few feet above the ground will spring 

 up again and soon be ready to yield another 

 crop. My grove had never been cut, but would 

 soon be old enough. In the photograph of a 

 eucalyptus avenue near Los Angeles, the row 

 of trees on the right have been cut near the 

 ground and the branching trunks are the con- 

 sequence. 



