Arizona republican., 1907-01-21


 wood, will do fairly well when per manently rooted with only an occa- sional irrigation. Such trees as these will be found very desirable for plant ing about school grounds and other locations where little or no attention may be given them during a consider able portion of the wear.
 Other Species For Ornamental Planting.
 The principal object of the writer in this article. however. is tO call atten- ton to certain very desirable ever green species for park and home planting. which as yet are but little lnown U the public. Among these are the true cedars from the orient. the Monterey and Arizona expresses. the Chinese arbor vitae. and two species of resistant Eucalypts. As concerns adaptability, It will be mo- ticed that the expresses are natives Of Arizona and California. while the ce- daIs and the Eucalypts mentioned are indigenous to mild semi-arid regions very similar to our own. With one ex- ception viz. the cedar of Lebanon which has not been given a trial as yet representatives of all these spe- cies are growing successfully on the University grounds or in Tucson, where they appear 10 be equally re- sistant to our hot. dry summers and occasional frosty winter nights. They should prove, therefore, valuable ac- quisitions to our growing list of or namentals.
 The True Cedars
 The Himalayan or Indian cedar is in many respects the most desirable of this group. Two of these trees plant ed about twelve years ago are grow ing on the University grounds. the larger of which under the more fav- orable conditions Is eight inches in diameter at the base and about twen- ty-five feet in height. These trees may be recognized by their bluish-green foliage and graceful, slightly pend ulous horizontal branches which are given off loosely from a straight trunk so as to form a symmetrical. tapering conelike head. Besides be- ing the handsomest Of the cedars. the Indian cedar is said to be the most rapid grower. It has been planted ex- tensively in southern Europe and within recent years in California. The renowned cedar of Lebanon. associat- ed with man since his early history. and long celebrated for it's tenure of life and magnificent. far-reaching. flat-topped crowns. differs from the Indian cedar principally in having denser. dark green oilage and shorter. more rigid branches. So far as re- suits in California show, 1t appears to be equally well adapted to southwest ern conditions. Cedrus atlantica from the arid mountain regions Of north Africa is another closely related spe- cies and very desirable variety for planting. A correspondent writes from California that all these trees thrive equally well there and that there is quite an active demand for them par ticularly, the Indian cedar and Cedrus atlantica which are the handsomest varieties.
 The Monterey Cypress.
 Another valuable ornamental tree for southern Arizona is the Monterey cypress from California. In it's native habitat il is limited 10 a dry rocky area about two hundred yards wide d Pacific coast south of the bay of Mon terey where it grows about fifty feet high and forms in age a broad flat topped crown resembling a cedar of Lebanon. With cultivation it becomes beautiful. symmetrical rapid-grow- ing evergreen. IL is much planted in California. being used especially for ornamental hedges. and is also pop ular in southern Europe. Australia and parts of South America. The Mon terey cypress has been planted but little in Arizona as yet. since its fit- ness for our climatic conditions are not generally known. Handsome specimens of it. twenty to twenty-five feet high eight years after planting. gre growing at Stafford. Arizona. where it has been successfully intro duced by Mir. R. A. Smith. ST Mir Smith considers this the hardest and most desirable evergreen for the upper Gila country.
 The Arizona Cypress.
 Our native Arizona cypress. long ac- customed to southwestern conditions. also should not be overlooked in the matter of evergreen selection. At al- titudes of four to six thousand feet in the mountains of southern Arizona it grows to a height Of thirty to forty feet or occasionally more. While a slower growing tree than the Mon terey cypress, it is apparently more resistant, being especially adapted to arid, exposed situations for which req son 1t promises to be valuable for for est reclamation work at the lower al- 1 titudes. A single thrifty tree twelve feet high with the characteristic 1 bluishgreen foliage and pleasant aroma may be seen on the University | grounds in front of the presidents |. cottage While it cannot be bought | from nurseries. it may be grown read ! fly from seeds. which should be col ! lected during the late fall months and 1 sown the following spring under lat 1 tice-work
 Planting Trees.
 The proper planting of trees is | scarcely secondary to the proper se- | lection of varieties. Especially over | our mesas where the caliche common 1 ly lies near the surface. holes should | be dug four or five feet in diameter | and nearly as deep. and the hardpan | below loosened with a pick or crow ! bar. or better by means of blasting. | These holes are filled to within a few | inches of the ton with ordinary sandy l