The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-02
TEE WEEPING SPRUCE.
A Curious Tree That Grows on the
Pacific slope.


From the Garden and Forest.
It had been my desire for the last three
years 10 visit the group of weeping spruce
Picea Brsweriana) growing on the summit
of the Siskiyou mountains. in siskiyou
county, California, and having learned this
year that the other conifers in the northern
part Of the state " ere seeding, I determined
to visit the grove and obtain seed, IL posi-
bic. Wo went 60 Grants Pass, Ore. the
nearest railroad station TO the grove, where
we procured horses and drove the first day
to Anderson's, about twenty miles from
Grants Pass. Owing to heavy rains
we did not reach Waldo until
about 4 o'clock next day, where we
engaged guide, saddle horses and
packing animals, and left for the trees early
the morning after, reaching tho big
Meadows" on the summit of the Siskiyous,
about 4 O'Clock. having Travelled about
twenty-one miles In horizontal direction,
and more than one mile in altitude. Waldo
is about 500 feet above sea level, and our
camping place was about Z, 800 feet. The
trail over which we came was made by a
Spanish packer for the transportation of
provisions from Waldo, Ore, to Happy
Camp, mining town in California. 1t is
fair trail for such rough country. but 1t is
not a macadamized road. We slept that
night with some evergreen bo1ghs under
US and the blue sky over us part OF the
night. and the densest fog have ever seen
for the remainder OF the night.
The next morning we walked up the trail
about q mile and holt TO the few scattered
weeping spruces, about sixty in number,
which had attained hieht OF twenty-five
feet, at which size they began to bear seed
but we found that most of the trees under
fifty feet had very imperfect seeds. The
cones are from 21S TO 80 inches in length,
and three-quarters of an inch In diameter,
of fine purplish color. They mostly grow
on the extreme top and ends Of upper
branches. The beauty of the trees far sur
passed my expectations. They have the
true spruce form, tall and symmetrical,
with horizontal branches, and a beautiful
green color. In their general features they
resemble weli-grown Norway spruce, but
their distinguishing beauty lie in their long,
plant, pendulous branchlets, which hang
straight down from the branches TO q length
OF six to eight feet on the older trees, while
they are no larger round than a lead pencil.
They have stately grace in calm weather,
but their characteristic impressiveness Is
only seen when the long flexible branches
are undulating in light breeze or stream
ing before gale.
Later in the season / inade another trip
to these groves TO get as many seedlings as
l could, and hunt up more trees If possible
Hunters and prospectors reported that they
grew in various parts of the mountains but
when these men saw the branches brought
down they admitted their mistake. Orrtn
Russell, who has lived in this part of the
country for more than twenty years, and
who is exceptionally well Informed, res
ported that few weeping spruces grew on
the Coast Range in Oregon. l visited him
at his mines after ! had collected and
shipped the few seedlings could find on the
Siskiyou Mountains, and in company with
bis brother, Joseph Russell, found the trees
at the place indioated--on the summit of
the Coast Range, on the divide between
Canon Creek aud Fiddler's Gulch. This is
the first time. 30 far as I know, that any
record has been made Of these trees in
Oregon.