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THE V SA V. 



The Eucalyptus in California. — I am informed that 

 there are upwards of forty species of these gum trees of 

 Australia in cultivation in California. Of these, the 

 blue-gum, or Eittalyptits globulus, is by far the most 

 common, and is the most valuable tree to the state. To 

 the "tender-foot" it is a surprise in all its features, as 

 well as somewhat of a curiosity botanically. We are 

 at first surprised at its truly wonderful rate of growth. 

 I am informed by several reliable people that there is a 

 blue-gum in Monterey county which was transplanted 

 at one year old six years ago, and that it is now a little 

 over one hundred feet in height. There is one in sight 

 from the window where I write a little over ninety feet 

 high, and which, I am assured, is only nine years old 

 from the seed. These do not seem to be exceptional 

 cases. Nearly all Californians fail to see the wonderful 

 value of this tree to the state, and what a tremendous 

 income could be derived from it by planting large areas 

 of it for fuel alone at certain points. Take Los Angeles, 

 for instance, where firewood ranges in price from $12 to 

 $30 a cord, and where firewood must always be high. 

 One can hardly estimate the value of 160 acres of blue- 

 gum planted on the wonderfully deep, rich, moist soil 

 directly west of the city toward San Pedro. Here land 

 can be found which is too wet for cultivation, but of ex- 

 ceeding richness, and therefore exactly suited to the cul- 

 ture of this tree. 



This tree should also be extensively planted on the low 

 moist soils of the Atlantic sea-board wherever the wild 

 bitter orange will thrive. It is a fact that it reclaims 

 wet land and prevents malaria, by draining the land 

 with its roots, and the resinous fragrance thrown off by 

 its foliage is wholesome. We see the gums in all their 

 glory at San Rafael, near San Francisco, where the Hon. 

 William A. Colman has planted 70,000 trees, largely E. 

 globtdus. The thinnings of the groves are already giv- 

 ing him a large income. Two large street trees were 

 cut directly across the street from where I now write, 

 and I measured the growth with a rule, and the last 

 year's layer of wood on both trees was in places four 

 inches in thickness, and the thinnest place I could find it 

 was two inches. These were ordinary street trees, with- 

 out special advantages or cultivation. These facts give 

 an idea of the growth of this most wonderful tree. It 

 is an evergreen, with very dark-green lanceolate curved 

 leaves, drooping, hanging edgewise to the sky, 6 to 12 

 inches in length, closely resembling the leaves of the 

 peach. On young trees and on the new shoots, where 

 trees have been cut back, the leaves are of a much lighter 

 or glaucous shade of green, are much wider and rounded 

 at the point, and are placed opposite on the twigs, with 

 the wings of the leaves large, nearly surrounding the 

 twigs; the twigs are four-sided, with sharp angles, while 

 older twigs are round and smooth. In fact, to cut twigs 

 from the two growths on the same tree, it would be hard 

 to made one believe that they were from the same spe- 

 cies. The eucalypti will withstand about 15° of frost 

 without injury, and perhaps 20° to 25° without material 

 injury. Some species are hardier than others. E. glob- 



ulus is neither handsome or pretty, but may be called 

 grand or noble. It is strongly fastigiate, much like the 

 Lombardy poplar. The older bark is strongly decidu- 

 ous, peeling off at all times in long thin strips. E. glob- 

 ulus and the Monterey cypress are the two trees every- 

 where present in California where man has made a 

 home. — D. B. Wier, California. 



Rapid Growth of Trees. — I have always contended 

 that whenever it shall be proved profitable to grow trees 

 for timber, the universal genius of our people for see- 

 ing a dollar, though in a distance, would give us all the 

 timber we need within a quarter of a century, and that 

 the talk of untold hundreds of years to replace a rotting 

 forest is rather wild. To show how fast a tree will grow 

 when it has the chance good forestry would give to let 

 it grow, a maple tree (Acer dasycarpum) near our office, 

 will illustrate. Exactly 21 years ago this month, I bought 

 the ground and a young maple tree, possibly three or 

 four years old — or about three inches thick, was suffered 

 to remain. To-day I measured it and found it, four feet 

 from the ground, nine feet six inches in circumference. 

 I doubt whether any maple could do better than this ; 

 but it shows what can be done. Much of our present 

 forest land is mere waste, and "ruthless" as the 

 woodman's axe often is, it is as often merciful. There 

 are yet thousands of acres, sustaining nothing but wild 

 animals, that would support thousands of people if 

 cleared for farm or garden crops, and with half dead 

 trees inviting forest fires, that should be cleared. We 

 want as much new forest planted as old forests pre- 

 served. — Thomas Meehan, Phila . 



In the April Number, advertising page 11, is the 

 statement that the Cowthorpe oak in Yorkshire, Eng., is 

 the largest tree in Great Britain. I have never seen it, 

 but have seen the ' ' Wingfarthing oak " in Norfolkshire, 

 about seven miles from Athleborough. In 1884 I paced 

 the circumference of the tree at go good paces. It 

 seemed to be a conical trunk of some 75 or 80 feet in 

 height, hollow mostly, and shooting off vigorous and 

 green limbs from the top, giving it a dumpy appearance. 

 The evident antiquity of the decaying trunk, together 

 with the flourishing growth of the topmost leaves, seem- 

 ed to suggest an uncanny union of death and life. Near 

 by was a smaller tree which would have attracted great 

 attention elsewhere. The general contour of Norfolk- 

 shire land somewhat resembles the prairies of Iowa. 

 Some one has written of the " firolificness of England." 

 It is certain that birds, beasts, trees and men do thrive 

 there. — G. St. John Sheffield. 



Everyone Knows, in a general way, that thorough- 

 ness and high culture are essential to success in every 

 branch of horticulture ; yet very few, after all, possess 

 a working knowledge of this intense culture. There are 

 few who have actually tested the possibilities of the soil 

 and of plants. But when once a man has experienced 

 the results of the best endeavors, he immediately enters 

 a realm of new and wonderful interest and profit, and 

 will not return to poor practice 



