86 EUCALYPTUS. 



habitat is in dry or desert location, with large well stored 

 seeds, that I have thought this useful characteristic an evo- 

 lution forced from the severe conditions these species must 

 contend with. Now comes this desert tree from Australia 

 with such small fruits and seeds as to get its name from 

 this characteristic. 



The range of this tree in Australia corresponds in a 

 general way with that of our very valuable desert mesquite 

 (Prosopis juliflora.) The mesquite is valuable for forage, 

 fuel, food and honey. I have seen several large specimens 

 of the tree in Southern California, notably two at the Pur- 

 cell place, San Gabriel. I think that the tree should be 

 planted in Arizona. While perhaps a little slow at first, 

 it is sure to succeed generally in that section of country. 



The specimens at San Gabriel were attractive with 

 feathery foliage suggesting certain acacias. 



Microtheca is a tree well worthy of extensive trial in 

 the more trying situations of our southwestern country. I 

 am unable to find any record of its planting or rate of 

 growth. It appears to be a surface root tree and in this 

 respect the opposite of our Californian valley oaks. These 

 trees send their roots straight down and quite out of the 

 way. The cactus and yuccas have very short roots that 

 possess an extraordinary capacity of seizing a supply of 

 moisture from the semi-occasional torrential rains of the 

 desert region, and of holding the same for long periods. 



Thos. A. West, a mining man of intelligence, tells me 

 that some years ago he brought a young columnar cactus 

 from the Colorado desert and hung it under the mantel 

 shelf of his sitting room fire place at Glendora, surely *a 

 dry and trying place for any plant. 



For three years this cactus suffered but little in appear- 



