May 29, 1903.] 



SCIENCE. 



859 



planting of new areas in various places, some 

 of large extent; it is very doubtful, however, 

 whether the increase in acreage devoted to the 

 eucalyptus is sufficient to meet the wants of 

 even the immediate future. The present 

 prices are not likely to decline. At $10 to 

 $11 for the native woods, per cord of 96 cubic 

 feet (that is to say, three tiers of stove lengths, 

 eight by four feet otherwise) and $7.50 to $9 

 for eucalyptus or gum-wood, as it is popularly 

 called, there is a handsome profit in the culti- 

 vation of the latter, for after the first cutting 

 these trees sprout or start again from the 

 stump, and a second cutting can be made in 

 five or six years. The above prices are the 

 retail figures ; the discount to the ' wood 

 yards,' is probably not more, on an average, 

 than one dollar per cord, while the retail 

 prices at the ' yards ' are much higher than 

 those above stated, for small quantities. The 

 numerous species of these invaluable trees in- 

 clude forms adapted to a great number of pur- 

 poses in the mechanical arts. It is principally 

 as fuel, shade trees and wind-breaks that they 

 have been used in this country. I have not 

 learned of an instance of their use in the 

 manufacture of lumber. To a limited ex- 

 tent certain species have been used as piles in 

 wharf strvjctures, and it is not unlikely that 

 these may be found to be immune against the 

 ravages of Chelura and Teredo. The medi- 

 cinal value of E. globulus and other species is 

 above dispute and has been for many years; 

 their use in this direction deserves to be 

 widely extended. The experience of the writer 

 at various times in serious gastric troubles 

 has proved to him their unquestionable medic- 

 inal virtues. Again, the bulk of testimony 

 is in their favor when the neutralizing of 

 malarial atmospheric conditions is considered; 

 their beneficial action, or rather the action of 

 certain species, can easily be shown. As Pro- 

 f essor McClatchie says : ' The eucalypts prob- 

 ably serve more useful purposes than the trees 

 of any other genus grown on the globe, ex- 

 cept possibly the various palms.' 



In the professor's memoir some forty or 

 more species are described in a popular way, 

 their characteristics, climatic requirements 



and uses given. These forms are illustrated 

 by numerous finely executed half-tone en- 

 gravings, and otherwise presented in a very 

 useful way by grouping of species according 

 to climatic adaptation and uses. Then fol- 

 low a ' key ' and technical botanical descrip- 

 tions. The bibliography and index close the 

 volume. 



Both the bibliography and the history of 

 Eucalyptus culture in California are open to 

 criticism. The highly creditable work of 

 Mr. Elwood Cooper and Mr. Abbot W. Kin- 

 ney in promoting by precept and practice 

 Eucalyptus culture in southern California is 

 justly praised. Of the former, in referring 

 to a lecture delivered by him in Santa Bar- 

 bara in 18Y5, it is said : ' This was probably 

 the first address on the subject in America.' 

 By turning to the 'Proceedings' of the Cali- 

 fornia Academy of Sciences it will be seen 

 that on the first day of July, 1872, the writer 

 read a paper, ' On the Economic Value of 

 Certain Australian Forest Trees and their 

 Cultivation in California,' the lecture being 

 printed in full in Volume IV. of the Acad- 

 emy's proceedings, the same is contained 

 in the ' Annual Report of the State Board of 

 Health for 1872,' and about the same date a 

 pamphlet edition of 2,500 copies was published 

 and distributed gratuitously. In connection 

 with this, see also the New York Nation for 

 August 22, 1872. Subsequently to the Acad- 

 emy's Proceedings the late Dr. Albert Kellogg 

 contributed a paper on the eucalypts; still 

 later a paper on ' Forest Tree Culture in Cali- 

 fornia ' was read before the American For- 

 estry Association at the Cincinnati meeting, 

 April, 1882, and published in the report of 

 that meeting. The late Colonel Warren's 

 California Farmer, the first agricultural paper 

 published on the West Coast, contained, first 

 and last, many articles on the foregoing sub- 

 ject. Professor McClatchie's memoir has but 

 little, very little, to say about Eucalyptus 

 culture in California north of Tehachapi, or, 

 in other words, latitude 35° ; yet north of this 

 general line hundreds of thousands of these 

 trees have been planted throughout a far 

 larger territory, embracing more diversified 

 climatic conditions than southern California. 



