Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-04-06
PLANT TREES.
The Season Now Open The Profit
of Tree Culture Climatic Advan-
tages of Trees Dry Seasons Abol-
ished by Forests Beauty and
Profit Combined-The Law In
Favor of Tree Planting.

The season for the planting Of forest
and shade trees is now fairly open. and
should be improved to the fullest extent.
Every forest tree plant in our nurseries
should be planted within the next thirty
days. Nearly every settler coming to
this part of the State has desire to plant
an orange grove, but few ever think that
the planting of forest trees is quite as
profitable and less expensive. Eucalyp-
tus trees, after five years of age, will
yield about one-sixth OF cord Of wood
apiece, and repeat the same yield every
three years thereafter. BY placing the
trees ten feet apart the yield per acre
would amount to sixty-six cords Of wood
per acre in every three years, ortwenty
two cords per annum, worth So per cord
after paying for the cutting, or 1892 per
acre, with no cost Of cultivation or irri-
gatiou. What country can equal that
for the profit of farmings One hundred
and thirty-two dollars per acre an
nually, with no expense of plow-
ing. planting, reaping, fencing or irriga
ting, is pretty good yield, especially
land that has not cost over $50 per acre.
The estimate here made is below the real
results that have been attained in Cali
fornia, and can easily be reproduced.
1t is no fancy picture, but is the result
Of experience in this city and county,
and is absolute fact.
With these facts before the people it
seems Incredible that more attention is
not paid to planting in Southern
California Bnt the profit Of forest trees
for producing fuel is not the only profit
to the country. Trees are great regula-
tors of moisture and modifers of climate.
They eondense and precipitate a vast
amount Of moisture from the atmosphere
during the summer season, and equalize
the temperature in a remarkable degree.
DuflHS tho SutiiiHei anu autuhih tuc
aerial current that flows from west to
east carries a vast amount of vapor in
the form of fog from the Pacific Ocean
over the plains of Los Angeles. If the
earth is bare, hot pasture, paved with
gravel stones and grasshoppers, the float
ing vapor passes like dream and leaves
no trace behind. But wherever row
of eucalyptus trees are growing every
several leaf is condenser of moisture
and each leaf gathers store of water,
and after absorbing all that the tree re-
quires drops the balance on the thirsty
earth. Now if all our highways we've
planted with double or triple rows
of trees throughout the county
the change in climate would
be most noticeable and important.
Every live and thrifty tree would be
meteorological policeman, and would
arrest every vagrant drop of moisture
that loitered around its beautiful
boughs. II trees were thus planted
every year the climate would be much
more uniform than at present and the
dry, hot blasts of wind and dust be
abolished.
1t cannot have escaped the notice of
intelligent readers that the rainfall along
tho haze of tha p,ot,nto,x,z o,d oro, ~,
part of the land where the country is
planted with trees is much greater than
it is on the open plains where the hard
dry soil collects no moisture. During
the unfinished season of 1883, and also
during the years 1881 and 80, the rain
fall in the country where trees are
planted, was about double what it was
on the pasture plains of Palos verdes,
Cerritos, Los Coyotes, and Santa
Gertrudes.
But aside from the rainfall the amount
of moisture which the trees collect from
the daily ocean fog is of great value.
While the bare hot plains repel the
moisture of the morning mists, the trees
gather them and send them down to the
earth in rich pactolian drops to water
the earth.
This remarkable office Of trees in our
land should convince our land owners
that the true way to modify our climate
is by planting treea all over our agricul-
tural land, The Supervisors can in
augurate this good work by carrying
out the laws of the State which they
have ignored for many years. The law
was amended at the last session of the
Legislature and reads as follows;
SEC 1884. Any owner or occupant of
land adjoining highway not less than
three rods wide, may plant trees in and
along said highway Oh the side contig-
uous to his land. They must be set in
regular rows, at a distance of at least
twenty feet from each other, and not
more than six feet from the boundary of
the highway. Ii the highway is more
than eighty feet wide the row must not
be less than six nor more than twelve
feet from the boundary of the highway
Whoever wilfully injuries any of them is
liable to the owner, or to the occupant,
for the damage which is thereby sus-
tanned.
According 10 the old law the persons
that planted and maintained these trees
alive for four years, should receive nom
the county one dollar apiece for each
and every tree so planted and cared for.
II the Supervisors will take action in
this matter and have all tho county
roads hordered with trees it will make
good beginning, and beautify and benefit
our country, and give the people some
idea where their roads are located. But
if our farmers would oil agree to plant
one tenth Of their land in forest trees
and carry out that agreement the face
of tho country would be changed, the
mists Of the ocean would be precipitated
upon the land and all dry seasons abol-
ished. The remedy is easy, profitable,
beautiful and practicablel.
A hundred million forest trees in Los
Angeles county could be planted, and
be source of wealth, pleasure and pro-
fit to the people. There is no doubt of
this. The case has passed the stage of
argument The performance is cheap
and easy, and the benefit is uncountable.
Let this be done and future generations