, 1874-04-18
EUCALYPTUS TREE IN ALGERIA.
West Indian)

w G1lSSil y ~
fourished surprisingly. 1t was not, how
ever, until withiu the last seven years that
anv extensive plantations were made. A
few days since we made an excursion TO
visit those on the estates OF Nj. Trottler,
M. Ramel. and NJ. Cordier. The seeds
from which these trees have grown were
mostly sent by Mr.. Edward Wilson, whose
persistent generosity in aid Of all efforts
for acclimatization cannot be too CRATE
fully acknowledged.
On M. Trottier's estate at HuSseln Dey
we walked under tall trees of the Eucalyp-
tus globulus (blue gum trees), on an aver
age fifty feet high, which seven years
ago were planted with seeds not so big
as a mustard seed this plantation was on
bad soil, and had not had very experienced
care, yet the growth of the trees was mar
v~ellous. In this evergreen wood all round
us were tall reddish smooth stems, with
the bark hanging down in a ragged until
dy manner, for the tree sheds It's bark IN
winter, and grey willow like leaves were
waving on flexible boughs. For about
twenty five feet the stem ofthe trees In the
inner part of the plantation rose up with
no branches at all, but on the skirts OF
the woods the trees sent out branches IN
the light and air nearly to the ground. 1t
produced a curious impression to walk In
the dim twilight OF this Australian Atrl-
can forest and 10 think that this was al
so a wood of the meiocene period. Beau
tiful is not the word | should apply to its
appearance, but exchanged tor bare sun
baked earth or deadly swamps must say
these Eucalyptus forests are most CRATE
full and the smell delightfully."- resInOus,
warm and gummy. The multitude OF
birds in the branches and their busy tWlt-
tering added much to the pleasant impress
sion. | measured these trees as | walked
along and found them from forty to forty
five inches in circumference, those on the
borders of the wood always OF course q
few inches larger. M. Trottier thinks the
red gum, Eucalyptus resiniterus, which Is
not yet planted in any great numbers Will
be the most hardy tree, and consequently
best suited to the neighbourhOod OF Al
giers; one red gum which | measured was
thirty-one inches in circumference and Its
age Just six years, having been sown IN
February, 1868 This tree was in the per-
lection of health, and the same may be
said of all the Eucalyptus trees IN the
plain.
All the large plantations in Algeria are
the Eucalyptus globulus, but as time goes
on varieties are being tried. On NJ. Cor
dier's magniicently wooded farm in the
dismal region of the Maison Carree we saw
a hundred different kinds of Eucalyptus.
We were accompanied by some gentlemen
who were the principal authorities on trees
in this colony, and they seem to expect
much from the E. Colosea, which IS a
harder tree in the sun than the globulus,
and is already growing in the desert at
Lagouat. M. Cordier showed us one Il:
globulus, which was eleven years old and
measured eighty-one inches in clrcumfer-
ence, and he told me of some at Bontarlk
in the plain, which were some inches larg-
err and not so old. There seemed to be a
general impression that the Eucalyptus
was q fever-destroying tree, and OF the
greatest Importance to the colony from
that point of view but as general culture
goes on, as we'll as plantations, the santa