SANTA MONICA FORESTRY SUBSTATION. 



343 



Los Angeles, and Pomona, as shown in the following condensed table 

 giving the main- points of the temperature record at each: 



THE YOUNG EUCALYPTUS GROVE. 



This plantation, set out in the spring of 1897, on the upper mesa, as 

 noted in the last annual report (page 418), has thriven better than 

 might have been expected, considering the character of the past season. 

 A few trees have died from drought, but on the other hand the growth 

 of the majority has been gratifying, and some species have done exceed- 

 ingly well under difficulties. 



Eucalyptus globulus, the well-known " blue gum/' used in this planta- 

 tion for shelter purposes, maintains its reputation for rapid growth. 

 It may be taken as a standard in estimating roughly the relative 

 rapidity of growth of other species, though we must always bear in 

 mind that different species are naturally adapted to different conditions, 

 and each species will, of course, grow best under the conditions best 

 suited to it. 



E. goniocalyx, a tall-growing species, made a growth even surpassing 

 that of the " blue gum," the best specimen being of the same height, 14 

 feet, when two years old from seed, while the general average is higher. 

 This species was especially recommended for new plantations by the 

 late Baron F. von Mueller. The inferior growth of the single specimen 

 in the older grove on the middle mesa has not borne out this recom- 

 mendation, but these young trees so far appear to justify it. 



E. rostrata and E. tereticornis, closely allied species, and E. Stuartiana 

 follow closely with a growth of 12 feet each for the best individual tree, 

 when two years old from seed, and an average of 7 to 8 feet; while E. 

 acmenioides, E. Andreana, E. angulosa, E. cinerea, E* Foeld-Bay, E. 

 Muelleriana, and E. urnigera, all new introductions, are not far behind. 



Growth at Different Ages Compared. As some of the species in the new 

 plantation are also represented in the old grove on the middle mesa, 

 some instructive comparisons can be drawn. At seven years from 

 planting E. rostrata measured 45 feet in height and 10 inches in 

 diameter of trunk, E. tereticornis 55 feet in height and 9 inches in 

 diameter, while the height of E. Stuartiana at the same age was only 

 28 feet, though its trunk diameter was 9 inches, equal to that of the 

 much taller E. tereticornis. These marked differences emphasize a point 

 which must be kept in mind when considering the relative growth of 

 young eucalyptus trees, that the rate of growth often varies with the age 

 of the trees, so that trees of different species which make an equal 

 growth during the first year or two, may, nevertheless, differ widely in 

 size some years later. 



