AN ECONOMIC STUDY OF ACACTIAS. De 
There are reports of trees of Acacia decurrens mollis in southern 
California which when 4 years old were 30 feet high and 8 inches 
in diameter. 
A complete analysis of the tanbarks grown at Santa Monica 
Forest Station, made in June, 1898, by Mr. George Colby, of the 
California Experiment Station, gives the following results: 
Water in | Tannin 
in 
air-dried | air-dried | Wter-free 
ie Banke substance. 
Acacia decurrens normalis: Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. 
Banka aia ir Ghee see sc eit ec Se RE GS See es See et eg a ee 6. 53 42. 48 45. 83 
By CLT EASE 1) GLI CUD OS ore 9 eat age oy mR ee tne 5 cs ihe eee 8. 28 36. 57 39.98 
Bark, Taree rOOts ss 582 oa ee OSS a a ee ae ne ds Se 5. 28 31.35 33. 10 
Acacia decurrens mollis: 
IB AnKeSIMATHEGTOG ates aes oe oe ee es eee eee aes 7. 60 45.98 49.76 
IB ark eDran Chess cee ae oe ee as Seem ae Sete ae cee anes 8.08 42.98 46. 66 
Bark, VANS O TOOLS Eset ere eo = eee as Seas ae eeeee 7. 89 32. 37 35.18 
Acacia pyenantha: 
Barks sIMmam=lECO sAserrease= tees wae mo ea ass snack teense oe an See 9. 32 41. 80 46. 09 
Bankes bran Ches seers ase ee oe a ee a ees eee 8. 67 38. 66 42. 34 
(Bp arkeglane Oyo OUS Gas ees tee Sees as ee eee eas eee eee eee 7.10 47. 02 50. 58 
Two points are brought out by these analyses: Acacia pycnantha 
alone showed a higher proportion of tannin than a bark with a large 
root, although this fact is likely to be true of the various forms of 
Acacia decurrens. The superior value of Acacia decurrens mollis is 
plain. All of these barks gave good results in practical tests by 
tanners. It should be stated that these results were not obtained 
from commercial plantations, and that notwithstanding the figures 
which were presented so many years ago by the University of Cali- 
fornia, no commercial plantations were set out. The principal reason 
for this was that at that time the demand for tanbark in California 
was sufficiently supplied by tanbark oak, which was then abundant; 
moreover, public attention had not been then directed to the possi- 
bilities of forest planting for timber, tanbark, and other products. 
ACACIAS FOR TIMBER. 
Throughout the world there is evidently an increasing demand for 
hardwoods.. In the eastern United States, which probably furnished 
the best supply of hardwood lumber that has ever been known, the 
diminution of the supply has already caused readjustments in several 
industries which have depended upon it. The foresters of South 
Africa, Algeria, and Australia are planting tons of acorns to grow 
_ future hardwood forests. California in particular, rich in conifers, 
has no hardwoods of commercial importance, and the introduced 
eucalypts present many difficulties in utilization. 
, PRINCIPAL TIMBER SPECIES. 
Many of the acacias furnish useful and valuable timber and are not 
only beautiful in grain but durable in contact with the ground. Even 
1 Circular 116, Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, the Waning Hardwood Supply. 
