PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-SIXTH FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 207 



this hardy tree will survive conditions that could not be withstood by 

 ordinary field crops. But. if high returns are sought, the fundamental 

 requisite, good soil, must be used. This fact must not be lost sight of. 



In this connection it may be explained that good soil as applied to 

 eucalypts has the same physical meaning as it has when applied to 

 field crops. The soil must first of all be of good depth, that is, six feet 

 or more from the surface to hardpan or other impenetrable material. 

 Shallow soils produce short-boled trees. Equally important is the 

 Texture and character of the stratum underlying the soil, owing to its 

 influence on the retention of moisture. Finally, the rainfall must be great 

 enough to produce rapid growth or water must be artificially applied. 

 These conditions of soil may be found in many sections of California, 

 but in choosing land for eucalyptus growing it is vitally essential that 

 the lowest temperature prevailing shall not be too cold for the species 

 to be grown. Generally, it is necessary to confine the search to areas 

 where the temperature is always about 25° F. Another factor of 

 importance is that of transportation. Sufficient foresight should be 

 exercised to guard against the exhaustion of profits by high freight 

 rates, for the output of an acre of well-developed trees is exceedingly 

 heavy. To meet this the farther-sighted growers are purchasing land 

 situated along a railroad near the coast or, better still, along a navi- 

 gable river. 



Having selected good land, the actual development work begins. 

 This consists in growing or purchasing seedlings of the best species 

 and of hardy character. The work of growing seedlings is extremely 

 exacting, for they must have constant care and attention from the time 

 the seed is sown till they are set in the field. Especially must care in 

 their watering be exercised, for on the amount and time of application 

 of water depends not only- the thrift and development of the seedlings, 

 but determines whether they become victims of the fungous disease 

 known as ''damping off." Inexperienced growers almost always lose 

 heavily from this cause, and even the most expert are not exempt. In 

 almost all publications giving instructions on the best methods of seed- 

 ling culture shading is recommended. It is questionable, in the light 

 of recent experiments, whether this is either necessary or desirable. It 

 is believed that hardier plants in greater numbers can be raised with- 

 out shelter from the sun. although this will depend to some degree upon 

 the exposure of the nursery site. 



What has been said about the necessity of selecting good land applies 

 equally to its preparation. Shallow plowing has long been the custom 

 of those tilling large areas for wheat and other surface crops. I ques- 

 tion if such tillage is the best for wheat, certainly it is not for euca- 

 lypts. Deep plowing should always be practiced, the deeper the better. 

 As an illustration of this may be cited the usually luxuriant growth 

 of blue gum on the dredged land at Natoma, Sacramento County. 

 There, on land plowed by the gold dredgers to a depth of twenty feet 

 or more, this species is making as good growth as can be found in the 

 State. At first glance dredged land appears to be irrevocably ruined 

 for crop purposes. It is only when we remember that dredging is 

 merely another name for deep plowing that the reason for this thrifty 

 growth dawns upon us. 



In the same measure that good land and thorough tillage are neces- 



