G04 TEE ''big trees" of CALIFORNIA. 



The best-known groves of the Sequoia gigantea are those of Calaveras, 

 Tuolumne, Merced, and Mariposa. In Fresno County there have been 

 found in recent years others, hirge and small, and the species is preserved 

 to science in an abundance of young trees raised from seed in various 

 parts of the world.^ 



The genial influence of snow in favoring tree growth is finely illus- 

 trated in the case of the "big trees" of California. The climate in sum- 

 mer is warm and dry, and it seldom rains, but the snows fall six feet or 

 more in winter and lie on till May. From the absence of rains the soil 

 is deep and the rocks are hidden by it. At the Calaveras Grove the 

 ground appears to be much lower and more wet in summer than at Mari- 

 posa, and at the latter the trees are more widely spread on the slopes 

 and high knobs of ground where the drainage is good.^ 



Height. Circt 



305 



270 



320 



327 



284 



258 



315 



277 



The circumference was measured above the swell of the roots, at about six feet from 

 the ground. The diameter of the stump of the "original big tree" was 23 feet IJ 

 inches inside of the bark, which was two feet thick. — {Proceedings of the California 

 Academy of Natural Sciences, iii, 204.) 



A particular account of these trees will be found In the "losenu'ie ^oofc," published 

 in connection with the Geological Survey of California, under the direction of Prof. J. 

 D. Whitney, State geologist, and by authority of a State law. 



Eucalyptus globulus. — Tlie Blue Gum of A^istraUa. — As much has 

 been written concerning this species, and as efforts have been made with 

 much success to introduce its cultivation in California, it may be proper 

 to present some of the principal facts concerning it : 



Our knowledge of this tree dates from 1792, when Labillardi^re, who was sent with 

 the expedition in search of the unfortunate La Perouse, found it in Tasmania, and 

 brought it to Europe.'' But public attention was not called to it until its rediscovery, 



' The giant sequoia was introduced iuto England in 1853, and it has been tried in 

 that country and Scotland in a great variety of situations, to ascertain its preferences. 

 It is found to do much the best in heavy clay land. It suffers from the easterly spring 

 winds, but after a time recovers. It must have a damp climate, moist subsoil, prefers 

 high grounds to low, and is sometimes injured by severe frosts. It is hardy at 860 feet 

 above tide, where the Douglas spruce did not do as well. Taking into consideration 

 its hardiness, rapid growth, large dimeusious, and durability, it is thought to present 

 qualities that render it proper for forest jdantiug for future timber; but it must not 

 have exposure to the east winds. Ttie value of its wood has not yet been tested. An 

 interruption of growth in midsummer, followed by a vigorous growth in the fall, has 

 been noticed, probably causing confusion in the rings of wood, or perhaps a double 

 ring in a year. It was introduced into France in 1854, and grows alike on plains, in 

 valleys, and on hills, best on a northern or southern slope. It must have a sufficient 

 depth of soil, and proves very difficult to transplant. — {Les Coniferes, C. De Kirwan, ii, 

 66.) 



This tendency to start again in autumn, due to the wet and dry seasons of its native 

 locality, has very frequently proved fatal in the Atlantic States. 



2 The following are measurements of height and circumference of 25 trees in the Ca- 

 laveras Grove, made by Dr. Charles T. Jackson and Joseph B. Meader, in 1865. The 

 quantities are in feet : 



3 This naturalist, with rare sagacity, foresaw that this tree would become an im- 

 portant source of timber for ship-building. His journal, under date of May 12, 1792 

 (the expedition being then at the Bay of Tempests, Van Diemau's Land), says: "I 

 have not yet been able to procure the flowers of a new species of Eucalyptus, remark- 

 able for its fruit, which resembles a coat -button. This tree, which is one of the tallest 

 in nature since it measures upward of 160 feet, only blooms toward its upper extrem- 

 ity. The wood is suited to naval construction, and is durable, but neither so light nor 

 so elastic as pine. Perhaps it would be advantageous, in making masts of it, to make 

 them of many pieces, and to hollow the great trunks throughout their lengths, in order 



