The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1909-01-28

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FRANK S. FORBES.
EDITOR Los ANGELES NEWS: In some
respects this is the most remarkable tree
known to man. This tree is native of
Australia. The seed for its planting in
California was brought here by Bishop
Taylor of the Methodist Church some
fifty years ago. Of the 1900 varieties
in their native land a dozen or more
are now growing in California. At
present this wonderful tree is receiving
more attention than anything else pro-
duced in this State. Oranges, lemons,
grapes, alfalfa, are all back numbers
just now compared to the eucalyptus in
dustry. Though the trees have been
growing in some parts of this State for
fifty years, their great commercial value
has but recently been discovered. The
eucalyptus is unlike any other tree grow
ing in this country. Yearly they shed
their bark Constantly they drop their
delicate blade-like leaves. They are ever
green. They fill the air with pungent
but pleasant odor Slim, straight, smooth
and graceful, they at once attract the
attention and admiration of every new
conner to this State.
Strangers in a foreign cline
Straight in crooked world,
Star-ward they seek their way"
Sometimes we see these trees growing
fifty to seventy-tive feet as smooth
straight and round as a pencil before
sending out a single branch The most
remarkable feature of the eucalyptus
tree is its rapid growth 1t grows five
times faster than the ordinary hard wood
tree, and the wood will out-last any other
wood exposed under water or earth.
These trees have grown to a height of
seventy or ninety feet, with circumfer-
ence of two or three feet in four years.
In our Chamber of Commerce building is
a specimen cut from a grove in Orange
county which reached eighty-one feet in
height and ten inches in diameter in four
years and five months. In any grove
under favorable conditions you can see
trees from four to ten years old ranging
from seventy-five to one hundred and
twenty five feet high, and from eight to
thirty-siX inches in diameter. Another
remarkable feature of these trees is that
when cut sprouts will very soon spring
from the stump and grow into trees
quicker than the first growth, and this
process will continue as often as the trees
are cut, in fact, the older the tree the
as the tree roots are deeper and stronger
Not long ago | counted seven trees grow
ing from one stump, each to height of
forty feet in about five years Some of
these trees are tough as hickory, some as
beautifully spotted as rock maple, some
as fine grained as red cherry, some have
a closer texture than CHARTERED oak, and
some take finer polish than mahogany.
Two varieties which grow in this State
the 'Red Gum" and the Grey Cum"
are valuable for any purpose for which
other expensive hard woods are used,
such as maple, oak, black walnut, ma
hogany. The blue Gum" which is the
most rapid grower, furnishes us with fire
wood, which sells from $12 to SIS cord.
No other industry in California will give
better returns for the money, time and
care expended than the planting Of the
three above named varieties of eucalyp-
tus. They are in great demand in this
country today FOR fuel railroad ties, tele-
graph and telephone poles, for manufac-
turing into farming and mechanical inn
PIGMENTS, for furniture and for flooring
and finishing of houses and business
blocks. The wood Of the red gum varie-
ty contains an oil which prevents decay
under ground, and also prevents injury
from the toredo in salt water. In Aus
traia are docks built of red eucalyptus
piling fifty years ago, and said to be in
as sound a condition now as when built.
These trees may be grown in any part of
Central and Southern California where
water, soil and climate combine to make
favorable condition. They should not
be planted where the temperature goes
below 20 degrees above zero, neither
should they be planted where there is no
water in the sub-soil within thirty feet of
the surface. The ideal location is in soil
composed of mellow, sandy loan with
water about ten or fifteen feet below the
surface, and in. a location as free as pos
sible from frosts and winds. There is
practically no danger from frost after
the first year. No insect or disease
troubles the trees, and it is said that
after the first year they have never been
known to die natural death. The profit
from these trees is simply question of
mathematics. Land suitable for this Gull
ture may be purchased for $50 to $3.50 an
acre according to location; the land may
be prepared, planted and fenced against
rabbits for 500 an acre, including the cost
of the small trees; the trees should be
irrigated for the first summer, and cult
waited for two years, this will cost an
other $40 an acre. Suppose you pay $500
an acre for your land, this will make the
entire cost at the end of two years less
than $50 an acre. After the second year
the trees require neither money, labor
nor attention on your parJ. Their roots
will have reached the water beneath the
surface, and from then on they will take
care of themselves. An acre of ground
will grow from six hundred to nine hun
dred trees. In four or five years you may
sell the trees for fuel for 81 tree, and
in four years more repeat the process.
Or In six or seven years you can sell the
trees for wire poles; piles and railroad
ties for So to S. tree. Or in eight and
ten years you can sell the trees for hard
wood timber for S. to $40 tree, and
again repeat the process in less time and
continue to repeat it as often as the trees
are cut. 1t is now no great problem to
find out how much your profits will be
from an acre. At conservative estima-
ton it will be 5000 or 5000 per acre in
five years, or $500 to $240O in six
years, or $4,000 to $1,000 per acre in eight
or ten years. In addition to the value of
the timber the leaves contain an oil which
is valuable for medicinal and mechanical
purposes. The extracting of this oil is
already becoming quite an industry in
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Hs.,. III. a The Kind You Have ALWAYS B0uptf