The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1894-02-03
AUSTRALIAN ACACIAS.
A LETTER FROM AN EX-UNITED
STATES COMMISSIONERS.
He Dlscourses Upon Trees Which Have
Commercial Value BEYOND
That of Fuel OF Shade
Trees.
Los ANaE1rs. February LED.

Los ANGELES, FEBRUARY ISL.
EDITORS HERALD - read in your
paper some time ago an article upon
some kind of root to be used for tanning
purposes. Even granting its excellence
for all uses claimed for it by its sdvo-
catos my preferences would be In favor
Of the several varieties OF the Australian
acscias or "wattles," as they are gem
orally called in that country. My rea-
son for this is that the root has no value
beyond the amount Of fannie acid 1t
contains, while the acacias furnish a
grateful shade and are quite equal to
any other vegetable substance tol the
leather industry. The black waffle
(acacia decurrens) is the best for that
purpose, the broad leaf waffle (acacia
latifolial coming next, the gray bark
waffle (acacia pycanthea) third and the
golden waffle (acacia aurifers) the fourth
on the list. The following tables give
the actual percentages in fannie acid of
acacias and our native varieties OF oak
Per cent.
Broadleaf waffle ~
Graybark. ....................z Is
Golden waffle OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. ~
Siskiyou mountain oak .......................1 ~
Santa Cruz mountain oak ............-.......i6
San Gabriel oak ..............,.........l 3
sacramento valley oak................'-.....
The values OF waffle bark in the Lon
don market are generally in this ratio,
per ton of 2249 pounds:
Black waffle ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. $42
Broadleaf waffle. ......-..,.........,.-'''. AZ
Grayback waffle. Observation-Disclosures. 80
G0iuen waffle ...s.s....,...,..s...-'... %
These strip best at six ars.old ae the
bark contains heavier percentage then
than at any other time. The wood,
after the bark is stripped off commands
three shillings per ton (they don't sell
wood by the cord in that country more
than any other wood because it makes
such hot fires. The bakers in the larger
cities will use nothing else for heating
their ovens if they can help it.
Another variety of acacia that may
be seen growing in our Central park is
the "black wood" or acacia melanoxy-
lon, which is an elegant cabinet wood,
but of slow growth. Those in the Cen
trail park are IL years old and still too
small to be valuable for manufacturing
purposes. l think they will require
growth of at least 20 years, when they
produce wood unsurpassed for beauty.
The great billiard table firm of Alcock
& Co., in Sydney and Melbourne, have
been making tables from it for the last
eight years; and at the exhibition OF
1888 there WAS piano cased with it
which was as handsome piece of parlor
furniture as one could wish to own. The
Martini Henry Rife Co. have been using
it for gun stocks for the last 10 years
because they could get it much cheaper
than the French walnut hitherto used
by them.
For 40 years we have been constantly
paying tribute to the eastern states for
furniture of all sorts; and even since
our home manufactures have begun. we
have been obliged to import eastern
walnut, cherry. oak and birch. Let US
now grow a wood more beautiful than
any OF them so that rs years hence we
shall bs able to ship them an elegant
cabinet timber worth at least $50 per
1000 feet at the mill. And while it is
growing we will enjoy the shade OF as
fine looking tree as grows. Some OF
our good people have set out the Austria
liam tree known as grevilla robusta,
which is little tree Though q
beautiful one, | admit and has no
commercial value whatever. The same
number of "black wood" trees set out in
this county would give US an income
about the year 1910 that would amount
to very large revenue.
In their haste, moreover, to acquire
good article OF fire wood, our good people
have Get out the comparatively worth
less blue gum of Tasmania, and have
overlooked the excellent iron BARK of
New South Wales, which is available for
railroad ties, fence posts, telegraph poles
and bridge timbers. The blue gum has
no value save for fuel and what medical
property its leaves possess. Had red
gums Murray river) and iron banks been
set out in 1872-'75, instead of blus gums,
this county would have saved an average
of 100000 year since the boom OF 1886,
which money she has been sending TO
San Francisco for redwood posts cut in
Sonoma, Mendocino and Humboldt
counties. The wealth of any county
consists in her own ability to produce
what che needs and thereby keep the
bullion at home. THos. B. MERRY.