PRACTICAL ARBORICULTURE 47 



The serious condition of the hickory supply has largely been brought 

 about by immense quantity of young hickory poles of from ten to twenty 

 years' growth, which have been cut for cooperage stock, as it takes five trees to 

 make the hoops for one barrel, while a lard or pork barrel requires ten or more 

 trees. By this practice there is no young stock of hickory left to grow into 

 lumber trees, while the price obtained for cooperage stock is infinitesimal. 



Hickory will grow on almost any soil and upon mountain and rough 

 lands, while such locations have a very low value, being unprofitable for culti- 

 vation in farm crops. 



So long as carriage manufacturers absolutely refuse to consider the fu- 

 ture prospective of lumber, and will not encourage the work of forest plant- 

 ing, they must not complain when the supply finally ceases and their business 

 in ust end. 



ARBORICULTURE has brought this question to the attention of manufacturers 

 during many years past, and urged the restricting of the hoop pole cutting 

 and the planting of timber trees. One prominent carriage builder met the 

 proposition with the argument that "In future, vehicles will be built of com- 

 pressed paper," but he forgot that the paper must be made of wood and the 

 wood must be first grown. 



Automobile wheels are made of steel wire and rubber but these are 

 very expensive, while farm vehicles and road wagons, carriages, etc., would 

 become very costly if made of these materials, and by no means as strong or 

 satisfactory as when made of good hickory wood. 



In California and in Florida the Eucalyptus of Australia succeeds, and the 

 principal variety known in America, the blue gum, is of extremely rapid 

 growth, moreover, it has more nearly the attributes of hickory wood than any 

 tree known to the United States, being dense, hard, strong, elastic, and while 

 green, is easily wrought becoming very hard in seasoning. Besides this there 

 is no tree grown in America which is of more rapid maturity. 



Unfortunately the Eucalyptus is not hardy in the north, as frost injures 

 it. Yet there is enough spare land in Florida to produce the stock which will 

 keep the great manufacturers of vehicles busy indefinitely. 



The trees require considerably more moisture than do many other forest 

 growths, and rich land as well, although they will grow on rather poor soil 

 and make some headway in localities having but little water. 



The everglades will be the place to grow Eucalyptus and it will supply 

 vehicle woods by the time the hickory shall have disappeared. 



