The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-07-11
4 Tree with a Temper.

"There are more queer things to the
acre in Arizona than in any other part
of this wide land," said Col. Brace
Dion Of Houck's Tank, Apache Co4nt
ty, "and according to my idea, and l
know pretty we'll what Queer things
are, the ddeercst thing in all Arizona
is the tree that has Il temper worse
than blonde comic opera prima don.
mas and gets it's dander up with just
as, small provocation. They tell n'e
out there that this tree belongs to the
toniferous species. Il grows to some
thing like Is feet high and then stops.
It's leaves DIRE long, slender and point.
ed, liEe iiorcupine quills. When this
tree is in good humor these leaves
lie close to the branches, and it
spreads a pleasant aromatic odor all
around. But when it is angry every
leaf on the tree rises up on end, and
the aspect Of that particular piece OF
timber is about as fierce and threaten
ing as anything you would care to
look at. The pleasant resinous odor
the tree sent forth in it's peaceful
mood gives way to a1l odor that will
put wings on your feet to place as
much distance as. you can between tho
offensive tree and yourself.
ssThis tree is especially touchy on
the subject of dogs, and the coming
of canine anywhere near it will in
stantly make it furious. Yet wolf,
a grizzly bear, or g mountain hon
never rufles the temper Of this tree If
those animals do not presume on too
great familiarity with it. They may
lie around it as long rs they care to,
but if one Of them SO far forgets itself
as to rub or scratch the trunk Of the
tree the hot tempered thing will fly
into one of it's tantrums instantly and
the way Mr.. Bear, Mr.. Wolf or Lion
will make himself scarce in those parts
is whole circus to see. Nothing will
work this tree up TO concert pitch
though, so quickly and efectually as 4,
throwing stones at Is. Then it will
actually rip and tear, and no living
thing would think Of going within
gunshot of it. Some folks out at
Houck's Tank call this tree the por-
eupine tree and some say it's right
name is skunk tree. I call it the holy
terror tree. But no matter what yoti
call it, it is a dueer job Of nature, and
Arizona claims it as her own.
"While this tree is the only real,
genuine Gov. Waite sort Of vegeta-
Bile kingdom crank we've got in Ari.
zona, we point with some more PRIDE
to another tree that only Arizona soil
has the talent to produce. This one
is the electric light tree. This tree
is not as abundant as the holy terror
tree, and is dwarf, seldom having the
courage to get more than twelve feet
high. It's foliage is very dense, ard
at night it CLEANS like an arc light.
The light that shines from this tree is
so strong that one may. sit twenty five
feet away and read fine print: The
oueerest point of this tfeg is that its
light begins to grow dim with the COM
ing Of the new moon and steadily loses
brilliancy until the moon is full.
Then the tree is as dark as mine.
When the moon begins to wane the
trees luminosity is gradually renewed,
and by the time the moon has disap-
peared the tree is shining again as
brightly as ever. Sometimes the light
On this queer tree becomes faint even
in the dark of the moon. Then we
have to do a queer thing to restore it..
We drench it with bucketful or two
Of water, and instantly the efulge1,tt
glow will return in all Its bfilliancy. :"
@ Nsm York Sun.