FIFTH NATIONAL CONSERVATION CONGRESS 87 



feet of the surface. This limits the range for commercial planting in arid regions 

 practically to agricultural or semi-agricultural areas. It is a mistake to believe 

 that successful plantations can be established on dry rocky mountain sides. The 

 planting of such sites and of the chaparral-covered slopes has usually met with 

 failure, after repeated attempts with a variety of species. 



Even after a favorable site for planting is found, the establishment of the 

 plantation requires more skill and money and consequent care than an ordiriary 

 coniferous plantation in a forested region. 



Methods: The only method of establishing a plantation is by planting nur- 

 sery-grown stock. Direct seeding is entirely out of the question. Since many 

 species of eucalypts are good sprouters, subsequent crops will start from the 

 coppice sprouts, so that a plantation, once established, may be kept forested 

 indefinitely. 



It is best to grow the plants in seed boxes or flats for a few weeks until they 

 are about two inches tall, then transplant them to individual pots in which they 

 are left for a few months more. They will then be 5 to 7 inches tall, but may be 

 set out in the planting site without disturbing their root systems. This method of 

 pot planting implies that the nursery is close to the planting site. Where it is not, 

 the plants will be transplanted in the nursery in the usual manner. 



A year before the field planting is done, it is very desirable to plow the area 

 to get the soil in good condition for the plants. The setting of the trees is done 

 in the usual manner after danger of frost is over and when the ground is moist 

 between January and April. A spacing of 8 x 8 feet is usual for woodlot planting, 

 and 4x4 feet in a double row for wind-breaks. The plantation should be culti- 

 vated during its first year, as any agricultural crop is, so that it may survive until 

 the roots reach subsoil moisture, and so that it may not be handicapped by weeds. 

 In woodlot plantations Monterey cypress is often used with eucalyptus with good 

 success ; otherwise the plantations are usually pure. 



Species: There are hundreds of species of eucalypts, but of these five are 

 particularly worthy of attention by the forester in this region — the blue gum 

 (E. globulus), sugar gum (B. corynocalyx) , red gum (£. rostrata), grey gum 

 (E. tereticornus) , and manna gum (£. viminalis). "Whenever the selection of 

 species lies between blue and sugar gum, the kind of product desired and the 

 amount of soil moisture present must determine the choice. If firewood, piles, or 

 dimension stuff is desired, the blue gum should be selected, especially if there is 

 no marked deficiency of soil moisture. If poles, ties, or a wood of unusual 

 durability and strength is desired, the sugar gum should be chosen, particularly 

 if the situation is rather arid. The sugar gum is the more drought-resistant, but 

 the blue gum is the more rapid growing. Outside the planting range of the blue 

 and sugar gums, the red gum commends itself, owing to its frost hardiness and 

 the durability of its timber. In frosty or swampy locations it should receive first 

 preference. The uses of its product are limited, however, by the fact that it is 

 inclined to a crooked, brushy form. It is of rapid growth, and furnishes a 

 product which is very durable in contact with the soil. The grey gum is equally 

 rapid in growth, but is somewhat less frost hardy than the red. It grows in good 



