48 EUCALYPTS CULTIVATED IN THE UNITED STATES. 
will need some protection from animals. Rabbits and other rodents 
sometimes nibble off young plants. If these animals can not be 
destroyed or excluded from the field, it will be necessary to protect 
each seedling from their ravages by means of a sheath of woven wire 
or other suitable material. 
The great usefulness of the trees and the considerable length of 
time they are likely to remain where planted warrant the planter in 
giving the young plants all the attention they need until they become 
established. The Blue Gum is one of the easiest of the genus to start 
and needs less attention than most species, but it should be cultivated 
and protected from rodents for at least the first season. Any species 
should be given at least as much care as would be given a field of 
corn. The cost per acre for the care of the young seedlings need not 
be much greater than the cost of caring for a corn crop. To set 
young trees and then leave them to struggle with weeds, to suffer for 
want of water, or be injured by animais is not economical. Eucalypts, 
like most trees, will endure quite unfavorable conditions when once 
established, but they need careful attention until they become thus 
fitted to cope with such conditions. 
