610 FOREST RESOURCES OF OREGON. 



The sandy region makes np the largest portion of the valley above Indian Cafion, has 

 been evidently formed by the -washing down of the finer portions of the debris from the 

 walls, and is peculiarly the arboriferous belt of the valley. On the drier and looser 

 portions the pitch or yellow pine (P. ponderosa) and the bastard cedar (Libocedras 

 decurrtns) are the most abundant and characteristic trees, both occurring of consider- 

 able size and fine proportions, the pines being usually from 125 to 150 feet high. Be- 

 low the Bridal veil Fall, near the debris, the fir {Picea grandiH), a noble tree, comes in ; 

 near the swampy land the black oak {Q. Sonomensis) is abundant. The sandy region 

 also bears a great number and variety of shrubs and undergrowth ; among these are 

 the Cornua NiittaUii, with its showy white flowers, 3 inches in diameter; Paibus Nutka- 

 tim, the most beautiful of the raspberries, and found from Lake Superior west; also 

 the characteristic California shrub, manzanita {Arctostaphylus glauca). The most char- 

 acteristic tree of the debris piles is, perhaps, the mountain live oak ( Q. chrysolepis, Lieb), 

 which is associated in the higher portions with the common, shrubby, evergreen oak 

 of the higher Sierras, perhaps the Q. vacdnifolia of Kellogg. In the vicinity of the 

 points where small streams come over the precipices we find the Oregon maple (Acer 

 macrophyUum), with its large and deeply-cut leaves, and, in the higher portions of the 

 ^^6m, another maple (J. ^/aweum), a shrub 10 to 15 feet high, whose delicate branches, 

 long pedunculated leaves, and clusters of reddish seed, make it an object conspicuous 

 for its beauty. Near the base of the debris, where the streams of the smaller waterfalls 

 emerge, the California laurel {Tetranthera CaUfornica) occurs as a small tree, with 

 smooth, brilliant, evergreen foliage, and aromatic odor. 



Nevada County. — Wuckee, near the eastern border of this State, is 

 the most important point for the manufacture of lumber and supply of 

 mining timbers among the Sierras, and is one of the chief points for 

 supplying Virginia City, Nev. There are in this vicinity several flumes 

 for bringing timber down from the mountains, where it would be other- 

 wise difficult of access. We have no statistics of the production of this 

 region. 



San Diego County. — A correspondent of the Ohio State Journal, 

 writing September, 1875, from San Diego, Cal., says that within a radius 

 of a mile of the court-house there were 4,759 shade and ornamental 

 trees, not including fruit and nut trees ; and that there were in the 

 county 37,749 trees, all planted within six years. Among the kinds 

 growing were the cork tree, date palm, India rubber, magnolia, Monterey 

 cypress, Norfolk Island pine, Mexican pepper, and Eucalyptus globulus. 

 The latter had grown 10 to 15 and even 20 feet in a single season. 

 A tree planted from seed in January, 1870, measured 42 inches around 

 at the base, and 32 inches at 6 feet from the ground. It was estimated 

 as 60 feet high. 



OREGON. 



Prof. James D. Dana, in an article upon the physical geography of 

 Oregon and Upper California,' before much settlement began, remarks 

 that in the vicinity of the sea the country instead of being open prairie 

 is covered with forests of evergreens : 



In Oregon these prevail over the larger part of a breadth of 30 miles along the coast. 

 In the vicinity of Astoria, as has been mentioned by various travelers, the trees of the 

 dense woods are extremely large, 250 to 300 feet loeing a common height. In July, 

 1841, on an excursion to Mount Swalalahs, 25 miles south of Astoria, we traveled over 

 a heavily timbered undulating country, passing trees occasionally 25 feet in circum- 

 ference ; and one measured was 37 feet. In some places the fallen trunks of trees 

 (pines, hemlock, spruce, and alders) so obstructed the way that we were compelled to 

 travel upon them, passing from one to another, seeing the ground 10 or 15 feet below 

 us. The soil was generally good, and supported a thick growth of underbrush. 

 There were flats near Chishuck's River, but they were covered with forests. 



The country of the western section is thus divided longitudinally into a forest and 

 prairie portion, the former densely wooded, the latter having only scattered oaks and 

 lines of forest along the streams. Yet in these prairie districts, elevations over 1,000 

 feet high are wooded like the coast region, and the forests extend down their slopes, 

 especially the northern and western, nearly or quite to their bases. Elk Mountain 

 and the tlmqua Ridges are thus densely covered with forests.' 



