4 FOREST TREES OF CALIFORNIA. 



These little branchlets divide by threes and fours flat fen- 

 spread — the principal large branches, whirled around the 

 main body: this wheel-branch feature is apparently lost in 

 age or cloaked over as the top closes in and becomes full with 

 myriads of soft drooping and flexible sprays — so surprisingly 

 foreign to its earlier growth. At the first glance, one can 

 scarcely realize this to be the same prudish Nutmeg Tree 

 known before or elsewhere. Arrived at this maiden condi- 

 tion, the charm of her changes grow upon you, in many ways, 

 amazingly; yet withal, in the highest degree pleasing — from 

 the former stiff and formal foliage, or merely symmetrical 

 branch and twig — the ever-vernal glossy tresses, in varied 

 beauty, now begin to hang gracefully from head to bosom, 

 festooning the boughs and thickening-in the whole foliaceous 

 expanse. This results, in a degree, from the natural persist- 

 ence of leaves very far back on the branchlets : besides, the 

 rigid two-rowed feature, mentioned before, becomes less 

 strictly observed ; it thus lightly thickens while it is not at 

 all heavy, notwithstanding the rather dark deep varnished 

 green mantle, but maintains a very tasty flossiness fully 

 equal to the most graceful forms of Sitka Spruce {Piceei 

 [Abies'] sitchensis), and only inferior in extent to the marvel- 

 ous pending curtain-corded wreaths of the most elegant types 

 of Douglas Spruce (Pseudotsuga [Abies] Douglasii): thus we 

 view it common to kindred trees scattered over the western 

 half of the continent of North America (by actual personal 

 observation), comprising nearly all climes and conditions of 

 the Pacific. Hence, in most cases, we conclude all that is 

 peculiar is altogether caused by improvised richness super- 

 added to favorite natural conditions of clime and soil : e. g. 

 near recent rural residences or old deserted Indian villages 

 or lodges, etc. The Nutmeg Tree thus standing on very fer- 

 tile soil, and more out from the wood, as observed, where it 

 greets the sun face to face the livelong day, the rigid, flat, 

 precise, and formal Norfolk Island Pine style of open wheeled 

 branch, tier above tier, is merged from the masculine, tower- 

 ing and aspiring top, into the humbler head of modest maid- 

 enly beauty, crowned in this delicate sheen of verdure, the 

 transformed tree so captivates the beholder one can scarcely, 

 with much effort, withdraw the spell-bound gaze; the reluc- 

 tant eye, constantly returning, will fondly linger in painful 

 pleasure at final parting with this pretty belle from the 

 bowers of Paradise. 



A large tree formerly grew on Papermill Creek, in Marin 

 County, of which we preserve a sketch, for, alas ! the vandals 

 have long ago laid it low. A small typical tree may be seen 

 at Mr. Harvey's, just outside his field fence at the bar-way 

 entrance, close on the Santa Cruz roadside, fourteen miles 

 below Pigeon Point. We have not the pleasure of this gen- 



