PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-THIRD FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 53 



which will be one of first importance to the State, the raising of hard 

 wood, not only for our own use but for export— there isn't any ques- 

 tion about that— that the hardwood industry of California, I believe 

 will supersede fruit-growing or anything else. It seems impossible 

 that it should be otherwise. We have letters all the time from the 

 East inquiring about the eucalyptus and how it grows in California, 

 and whether the writers can get a supply. We find locally and every- 

 where that the price of hard woods for ordinary wagon work is ad~ 

 vancing rapidly. It was only the other day that I had occasion to go 

 to the local wagon shop to get some shafts made for an old truck. The 

 man looked about and said, 4 ' The best I can do for you is to make some 

 shafts out of blue gum, but as far as that goes it is better than any 

 hickory I have ever worked up." There is in San Jose a planing mill 

 run by a man who has worked in hard woods for forty years— a 

 great many years in the East and for twenty-five years in this State. 

 He is working almost exclusively in eucalyptus and, of course, mostly 

 the blue gum, because he can not get others; but for almost all hard- 

 wood purposes, flooring, etc., even the blue gum, which is not consid- 

 ered one of the best varieties, is better than we have any idea. Its 

 seasoning, of course, is a subject of which we know but little ; yet all of 

 those matters as to the methods of seasoning the eucalyptus properly will 

 be published in bulletin form by the Experiment Stations and the 

 Government. 



I have nineteen species of eucalyptus here— those which are best 

 known. It is a difficult matter to describe these, because very few are 

 known otherwise than by their botanical names. Some of the species 

 are known only by the name of tamara — that is, ordinarily, in a com- 

 mercial way. The blue gum we all know. The two varieties which were 

 planted years ago, and those which we often had in the largest quanti- 

 ties, are what are known as blue gum and red gum. I can plead guilty 

 to having sold a great many of this variety for red; but it is not the 

 red gum, although similar to it. It is not as valuable as the red gum 

 proper, although it is a much more rapid grower. 



I remember at Hanford last year, in driving around during the 

 meetings of the Convention, being shown two specimen trees of this 

 variety. They are probably the largest specimens in the State, over 

 200 feet high and marvelous in size. But the red gum with me out- 

 grows in height the blue gum and it is hardier; the tenderest growth 

 is not hurt by frost. 



One of the varieties here is very different in growth from others 

 we have. It is particularly valuable for telegraph poles. Then there 

 are several varieties— Mr. Roeding can corroborate me in that— that 

 grow particularly well in the warmer portions of the State. From 

 actual experience, the sugar gum is more adaptive than the bulletins 



