EUCALYPTUS (ORYNOCALYX, 



Eucalyptus corynocalyx is the sugar gum. This popu- 

 lar name is due to the character of the foliage which, while 

 sweetish, contains comparatively little oil, and is, therefore, 

 acceptable to stock. In chewing the leaves of the sugar 

 gum, the first taste is agreeable, but immediately a bitter 

 resinous flavor succeeds. It leaves a persistent after taste 

 of almonds. There is no suggestion of sweetness to me. 

 Australian reports say that it is the only Eucalyptus, 

 unless perhaps Eucalyptus Guunii, that stock and sheep 

 will eat. This is not an especially desirable quality in a 

 tree, but in any case it is not true of California that the 

 sugar gum has this monopoly. 



While a road master in the Santa Monica district, I 

 undertook the planting of trees by the roadsides. Too 

 otten roads ran for considerable distances through open, 

 unsettled plains, used by stock and traversed by sheep. 



I planted Eucalyptus trees, for the small fund available 

 permitted only the use of trees that could be transplanted 

 to roadside, conditions small, and therefore at low cost, 

 and that would soon need no care at all. The cattle 

 would break down the young Eucalyptus trees, but did 

 not seem to eat them ; the sheep, however, crossing in the 

 fall, with scant feed, would eat off every leaf from the 

 young trees in their path, and from trees of several species 

 including the blue gum. The ground squirrels, then plen- 

 tiful, had the curious habit of biting off the young trees 

 at the root crown and leaving them dead. Rabbits do the 

 same thing, and will do it over and over again on re- 



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