NTRODUCTION. 



The Eucalypts arc now grown in America, especiall}^ in the South- 

 western United States, more extensively than any other exotic forest 

 tree. During- the past forty years they have been planted here and in 

 other parts of the world for ornament, for sanitary improvement, for 

 shade, for wind-breaks, for fuel, for oil, and for timber; and incident- 

 ally they have been useful in many other ways. In fact, they have 

 probably served more esthetic and utilitarian purposes than any other 

 forest trees that have been planted on this continent. 



These trees have been studied and extolled alike by botanists, gar- 

 deners, and foresters. The}" are worthy of all the attention that has 

 been given them and deserve to be still better known. The late Baron 

 Ferdinand von Mueller, Government botanist of Victoria, Australia, 

 the most renowned student of the great Australian genus Eucal3'ptus, 

 prophesied in his scholarly Eucalj'ptographia that ''The Eucalypts 

 are destined to pla}" a prominent part for all times to come in the 

 silvan culture of vast tracts of the globe; and for hard-wood supplies, 

 for sanitar}' measures, and for beneficent climatic changes all countries 

 within the warmer zones will with appreciative extensiveness have to 

 rely on our P^ucalypts during an as yet uncountable period.'' All who 

 have lived where Eucalypts grow can realize fully the force of the 

 prophecy and the great value of the genus to mankind, both present 

 and prospective. 



In the following pages the Eucalypts are \iewed mainly from the 

 standpoint of their usefulness, only incidentally l)eing treated as orna- 

 mentals. No attempt is made to present an exhaustive botanical trea- 

 tise of the Eucalypts. The botanical features introduced are intended 

 to be subservient to the interests and purposes of the forester. 



Only the large arboreal species are discussed — that is, species attain- 

 ing a height of over 4U to .50 feet and a diameter of over 1 foot. Many 

 of the species consisting of smaller trees are very interesting to the 

 botanist and gardener, but they are of comparativel v little interest to 

 the forester. 



This publication is not a general treatise on the genus Eucalyptus, 



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