The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1877-07-25
Tree Planting ON a Large scale.
WHAT THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PACIFIC COM
PANIEs ARE DOING IN CALIFORNIA

The work of planting the eucalyptus trees
(says the San Francisco Bulletn) along the
right of way of the Central and Southern Pacific
railways, recently commenced, will probably &C.
cupy about two years. 1t is the intention of the
companies to set them out along the entire line
OF both roads, where the trees can be grown to
advantage They will also be planted along the
various branch roads so far as practicable. AL
ready about one half of the road through 4 la
med county has been set out with the eucalyptus
globaus, and the work is being pushed as rapid
ly as the young trees are supplied from the Oak
land nurseries. This species of the eucalyptus,
however. is only adapted to a good soil. and
other species will have to be used IN the differ
ent places through which the road run, according
to the nature of the climate aud soil. 1t is
popularity Of the eucalyptus tree that some of
its almost numberless varieties seem adapted to
almost every particular climate and soil. 1t is
partly on account of this popularity that the
railroad companies have selected it for planting
along their roads. The eucalyptus globulns or
blue gum tree IS almost the only species of the
eucalyptus to Ge found to any extent in this
country, and in order to secure the various other
species, which will be used along the roads, Mr..
j. r. Scunhan, who has charge of the work, has
been obliged to send to Australia for supplies of
the seeds Of these various trees. These will be
planted in the nurseries here, and the young
trees will be set out as soon as they are snfi-
GENTLY grown to bear transplanting.
THE BEST VARIETY FOR RAILROAD sLEEPERs.
The Eucalyptus Marginata, which for some
time has been extensively exported from the
southwest of Australia and used for railway
sleepers, will be set out along the billy tracts
and lodges along the roads. The Eucalyptus
Rostrata. which grows in Southern Australia
and in places of which the climate and character
is very similar to the redwood districts of Cali
fornia, will be used for river bottoms and damp
lands generally. The Eucalyptus Brachypoda,
which hourlshes in the arid tropical inland re-
giOns of Australia, will do equally WELL it is
thought, in the desert tracts of California; and
the Eucalyptus Obliqua, which rapidly attains
gigantic dimensions in the poorest of soils, and
can be used for almost any purpose above ground
will be set out in those places along the railroads
where the other eucalypti will not thrive. The
wood of all these eucalypti. with the exception
| of the last named, is exceedingly tough and
heavy, and, owing to the resnous gums with
which it is saturated, 1t is almost impervious to
decay, and can, for this reason, be used with
great advantage for sleepers and telegraph poles.
Sleepers of Eucalyptus Rostrata have been
known to last over twelve years, and the wood
of most of the other eucalypti is said to be little
/
ton of the companies to set these trees out in
triple rows on each side of the tracks, from six
to twenty feet apart
| ADVANTAGES To THE RAILROADS.
The great advantages which the railroads will
derive from having constantly on hand a supply
of timber suitable for repairing the roads can he
seen at once, but the benefits which these lines
of trees will confer on the lands adjoining the
railways may be even greater. 1t is claimed as
an established fact that, to a certain extent, the
fall of rain is increased by trees and it is thought
by the advocates of this enterprise that this plan
of growing large trees in many places almost de-
void of forests will have marked effect both on
the crops and the soil of the nelghborhood. An
example OF this kind ia cited 10 the case of the
introduction of the eucalyptus into Algiers
which was followed by such remarkably good re-
cults that one enthusiastic writer had declared
that with enough eucaypti tho desert of Sahara
itself could be transformed into garden OF
Eden. The peculiar property of the eucalypti,
by which they absorb malarlal polsons, has al
ready led to their introduction in many places.
In SPAN, so great is the popular belief IN the
medicinal virtues Of the tree, that the eucalypti
in the public gardens of the large cities are con
stantly guarded to prevent their being stripped
of their foliage In Italy, the Introduction Of
the eucalypti in the Roman Campagna has great
ly benefited that malarial country.
SOME FURTHER FACTS ON THE TREES
The rapid growth of all the eucalypti is one OIL
their most marked features, and one which make
them especially adapted to such purpose as
that to which the railway companies now pro
pose to apply them. In Algiers the average
4 growth of young eucalyptus is nineteen inches
per month, and a two-year old tree is frequently
twenty feet 10 hight Surprising that the trees
will grow as rapidly in this country, by the time
the work Of setting out the trees along the road
is completed. the small eucalypti that are now
just starting up along the railway in Alameda
county will have attained the size or ordinary
trees, and only few years will have to elapse
after the completion of the work before the pur-
poses for which the eucalypti are to be planted
will be realized.