30 
MESQUITE IN KERN COUNTY. 
Some years ago, Mr. J. A. Jastro, a well-known cattle- 
man, introduced the large podded mesquite (Prosopis 
glandulosa) into the head of the San Joaquin Valley in 
Kern County to improve the cattle ranges. The bushes 
grew from seeds producing less than a dozen individuals, 
When these specimens fruited the cattle at once began 
to feed upon the pods and in this manner the mesquite 
was spread over a large area lying between Buena Vista 
Lake reservoir and Button Willow. This land is given 
over entirely to pasturage as much of it is alkaline and 
lacks facilities for irrigation. 
The mesquite bushes form a pleasing contrast to the 
dry monotonous vegetation by their dark^ green appear- 
ance throughout the year. As the mesquite blooms and 
fruits twice each year, its crops are very valuable in 
holding the ranges for cattle. Caftle not only greedily 
eat the pods from the tree and on the ground, but also 
browse upon the leaves as far as they can reach. This 
gives the mesquite a very symmetrical and pruned ap- 
pearance. As the foliage is quite dense a welcome 
shade is afforded stock during the summer months. 
This species of mesquite has a remarkable record in 
the Hawaiian Islands, where it was introduced from 
Sonora, Mexico, and has since escaped and become well 
established. Over thousands of acres it forms the prin- 
cipal cattle feed and in the market the ground pods are 
sold exactly as ground barley is sold in California. 
It is peculiar that mesquite should establish itself 
in Kern County for it is not recorded as having been 
found outside the influence of the summer ^ tropical 
rainy season which extends over Southern Arizona to 
Southern Nevada and Imperial Valley. Undoubtedly 
a new and valuable forage plant has been introduced 
into the San Joaquin Valley. — ^W. W. Mackie. 
THE BERKELEY OAKS. 
The Le Conte oak on the Berkeley campus and its 
immediate neighbors have for a considerable number of 
years been the object of much concern by the Univer- 
sity and tree lovers generally. During the present win- 
ter renewed attempts have been made to maintain the 
vigor of these flne trees by placing very rich soil in 
deep trenches dug about them and watering heavily and 
by adopting a spraying program for conserving the 
foliage against various insects. The spray program is 
similar to ones followed in some orchards. 
In the course of digging it was found that the soil 
in midwinter was very dry below about one foot and 
evidently not in favorable condition for root function- 
ing. Also it was found that a root here and there was 
killed and in advanced decay from the oak fungus, 
Armillaria mellea. A typical case was a root about 
three inches in diameter of the fine tree south of the 
path and opposite the Le Conte oak. This root was 
followed from a point about twenty feet southeast of 
