Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1907-02-25

4 large force OF men are al work on |
the San Dieguite ranch, under the
direction Of H. O. Faulkner. manager
Of the tie and timber department OF
the Atehlson. Topeka Il Santa Fe
company. The men are plant.
Ing seedlings Of the eucalyptus tree
on a tract Of 200 acres Of the ranch
embraces nearly 5000 acres Of
land.
The ree are Being planted for the
purpose OF growing timber from which
to cut a portion Of the ties to be used
by the Santa Fe railway. ana Is un-
doubtedly the largest undertaking of
his kind under way any place In the
world.
The eucalyptus vas selected after
careful consideration and because Il
presented the features desired In tim
Der for this purpose. and In every
manner seemed TO embrace more
things that qualified It rs being more
suitable. than any other kind Of tree.
Two principal reasons for Its selec-
ton were that the wood Is the hardest
of any ever used for railway ties ami
the tree grows more rapidly than any
other forest tree.
Seven hundred acres Of this ranch
viii DO planted each year for twelve
years. shortly after which time the
first batch, or the 700 acre tract that
Is nov being planted. will be ready
for harvest. Each successive year
thereafter a tract of 100 acres will be
ready for cutting. After the first
round Ii completed. II should not be
long before the second round or cut
ting Is ready.
Every tree is grown from a seed
and every plant 10 transplanted into
shallow boxes when 1t IL about an
inch above ground. These shallow
boxes hold one hundred young trees
and are stored In Hath houses" until
they are three or four inches high
when they are ready fof the field. II
takes from three to four months from
the time the seed is planted till the
young plant Is ready to be- set out In
the field. the final planting being done
In the months from February to May.
The first tract of 700 acres Is being
planted now and by the first to the
middle Of May the work will have
been completed. When planting was
begun during the first week In Febru-
ary. $4,000 young seedlings were al
ready I'm boxes awaiting the proper
time to be set out In the field. Seed
lings will continue to be raised SO that
by the first of May over 100000
young plants will have been raised
and handled. II Is estimated that
fully 95 per cent of the seedlings will
take root and grow at the first plant
ing. Those that die will be replaced
and no space will be wasted.
The method Of planting the seed
lings Is interesting. They are set out
in rows eight feet apart and five feet
apart In the rows according to mod
ern methods. A machine Is driven
along a marked line. carrying a large
barrel filled with water, and with two
rear seats for the men who do the
planting or placing of the young seed
lings In their proper place n the
rows, the shallow boxes containing
them being carried conveniently at
hand on platforms. g
As the machine Is driven along 1t
marks a line for the next row.. auto
matically makes a trench or hole In
the ground every FIVE feet where the
tree is to be planted and drops some
water into 1t, and rings a gong to
warn the men on the platforms I'm
time to place the young tree in the
hole, which they do alternately. A
man follows behind to watch the oper-
alton and to press earth around the
stems. III
Very little a r Is required during
the first two or three years. They
will be watered from a tank two or
three times each year and thoroughly
cultivated. after which 1t Is expected
that they will do without any further
attention. They are grown close to.