Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-06-28
CONIFERE.
COLLECTING SEEDS AND CONES FOR
EUROPEAN ARBoR.cULTURIsTs
How a Sacramentan Became Acquainted
with the Sentinels Of the Forest
and What He has to Say
About Them.


About Them
A good many years ago gentleman in
business in this city received letter from
friend in Germany, saying that the wonder
full stories of the grand forests and mighty
trees of California had excited great interest
in Europe, and that wealthy men and arbori-
culturists Of the continent and of England
were giving much attention to the subject and
were endeavoring to secure seeds of the Cali
fornia conifers to experiment with in tie
propagation of the trees. He inclosed in the
letter small sum of money, about $50 and
requested his friend to procure for him some
Of the
SEEDS OF THE CHG TREES
of Calayeras. In fulfilment of this request
the Sacrameutan wrote to a San Francisco
scotsman, and received in reply diminutive
envelope, in the extreme corner of which
nestled very few dark looking seeds, much
resembling, he says, dried-up bed-bugs,"
and the smile, though peculiar, will convey
some idea of the character OF the dozen or so
Of seeds which the $50 failed to buy, as there
was an additional charge for even that small
consignment. The great cost of the seeds
attracted his attention and led to an inquiry
which early enlisted him warmly in the study
of the conifers Of California, and he was
very soon quite extensively engaged in COL
lectipg the cones and seeds of the growth and
i'll forwarding them to Europe. This bust
ness, which was to him a recreation and a
relief from his regular vocation, has led him
to visit nearly every section Of the State
where conifers, or coIe-bearing plants, are
to be found, and to make special study of
these trees. This habit he has followed up
to the present time, and the knowledge he
has gained in that line has proven one of the
chief pleasures Of his life.
AN ANECDoTE
Is in point regarding his first attempt to
gather seeds of the 6 Big Trees" of Califor-
mia, while he was yet comparatively ignor-
experienced in collecting seeds gathered by
Others and the exceeding cost entailed, he re-
solved to go to one OF the Big Tree groves
himself and gather seeds on the spot, shak-
ing the precious germs from their hiding
places in the dark recesses of the cones. He
and his wife, accordingly, went to the grove,
but the cones were far up upon the lofty
trees, and apparently by aid of balloon
only could they be reached. The obliging
landlord, who kept the then rude hotel at
the grove, told the amateur that it was pub
lie ground all about there, and he was free to
gather all the cones he could find, aud added,
with
MERRY TWINKLE
OF his eye, az hope you will have success. :"
That twitch of the landlords optics was no.
ticed, but not understood. Subsequently its
mysterious humor was made evident. Day
SCI 4 I1l a.
for cones, but found only now and then one,
and these were old and comparatively value
less. The dark corner of small pocket book
held all the seeds that could be found, and
these did not bloat the wallet a particle. FL
nally the searcher resolved to give up the
task and confess that he could not gather
seeds enough in a lifetime to compensate for
a months board at the primitive hotel, even
though he could sell them for Sl00'a pound.
That night our amateur seeds atherer held a
consultation with his wife--if more men fol.
lowed his example there would be less trouble
in this world.
A woMAN'S WIT.
Said she to him with a sudden inspiration:
My dear, a woman's wit is sometimes
worth a mans wisdom"
apply yours to this clse, wife. How
shall we secure the seeds Of these trees? Now
l. 4
confess defeat, or ask advice of outsiders"
Listen, then. Ally father was gardener,
a devoted arboriculturist in Germany.
When but bit of a girl l sat upon his
knee and listened to his STORIES of the
squirrels in the forest and low diligently
they lay by in summer goods for winter
months. Unlike man, they never fail to
provide for rainy day. Now these woods,
[ notice. swarm with squirrels, and their
kind. May it not be that the little fellows
in their storehouses have quantities OF cones
which they have seized upon so soon as they
fell, OF even plucked. from the lofty boughs
up there?"
"Wife, yours is more than suggestion
tomorrow we viii hunt for squirrels nests"
SUCCESS.
And they did. They went by rude con-
veyance far into the deep shadows of the
forests They footed it where the foot OF
man, apparently, had not before pressed the
virgin sod. They searched thes holows of
fallen trees they drove the rattlesnake from
ito hiding place they delved in every bit OF
blasted brush, and overturned every heap of
forest rubbish, and at last they came upon a
squirrels storehouse. A little cone was seen
peeping from pile of dried leaves. They
brushed away the crisp foliage and found
three cones beneath, and below those nine,
and so on down until pyramidaI heap of
the fruit Of the great evergreens was dis
closed. That night late, weary and worn,
they reached the hotel with sack filed to
the biim with cones.
Where did you get them - cried the land
lord, amazenent depicted on his features.
oh, ont here under the trees"
g Not by long shot, my friends. You
can't play that on me-"
WV 81
because ever since your arrival have
had man out at o'clock i'll the morning
gathering all the cones that fell. and | know
you did not get them out there
"Oh, well, since you know that, the other
secret is ours"
And they kept it well, and left those parts
with cargo of well-flled sacks and several
pounds of precious Seeds which brought them
in Europe from Sl00 to SIPS per pound.
So much for woman's wit.
Since that time the amateur referred to has
sent to Europe several thousand dollars worth
Of seeds of the trees OF this coast, and he says
that there are
MILLIONS or TREES
Now growing in England aud on the cont
nent Of Europe from seeds sent there by him
and others from California during the last
twenty-five years. Many Of the trees there
are now bearing SEED, ana nence tne demand
for seeds from California has greatly de
creased. and he mas practically ceased from
gathering them for export. In getting the
leeds he has always found the squirrels his
best frien Is, but he has also found the
teamstsIs, hunters and residents in the
deeply wooded regions good assistants Hs
says that in robbing the squirrels, which he
has done from San Luis Obispo to Shasta, he
has not wronged them, for observation has
taught him that the little rodents nibble the
resinous edges Of the cones, and that they dc
not seek the seeds, some Of which are so firm
in the cones that strong heat orly will dis
lodge them. He says that he has found the
stock-men's droves and the sheep.herders
iocas to be most destructive of the young
growth of TIMBER No attention is given here
to preserving the new growth, nor the old
indeed, and against this neglect he inveighs
bitterly. Sheep, he says, do more damage tc
the forests than fire. Tney tear up the roots
of the young trees, and where sheep have
been herded much the cone bearers soon cease
to renew themselves. He thinks it necessary