Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-11
EUCALYPTUS TO
BE ADVERTISED
TO BE DISCUSSED AT FARM
LAND CONGRESS
INTEREST IN AUSTRALIAN TREE
CONSTANTLY GROWS
Misconceptions in Regard to Timber
Will Be Strengthened Out at
Meeting to Be Held
in Chicago

in Chicago
The eucalyptus industry promises to
receive marked attention at the ma
tional farm lands congress at Chicago,
which opens November 16. The inter-
est in this event has become very
great throughout the southwest. Ihe
attendance will include governors, sem
ators congressman, and at least three
members of the cabinet and what tran
spires there is expected to have an I'M
portant bearing on legislation this win
ter. 1t is planned to give the country
through this congress, valuable en-
lightenment about eucalyptus, which
is peculiarly California industry, and
which has come rapidly to the front
as an enterprise of vast moment to the
whole nation, Offering as it does the
only offset to the timber shortage that
is more keenly felt every year.
The government has made it plain
that the present supply of hard wood
cannot last more than sixteen years
and the national forestry service has
done everything in its power to awak-
en- the country to the necessity of rad
ical measures to avert grave calam-
ity. So far eucalyptus has offered the
only feasible method of meeting this
made by growing these trees for COM
mercial purposes has stimulated pub
lie interest that reaches even abroad.
The scope which this industry is likely
to assume as the country becomes more
alive to the inevitable timber famine
and the certain profits in eucalyptus
| timber, is startling. What 1t means to
California and through this state to
the nation will be made known at the
IEp a NJ n
set right about some erroneous ideas
that formerly existed in regard to eu-
calyptus.
Will Correct Errors
Among those who will take an active
interest in this phase of the congress
is the American Forestration company,
Security building. now operating ex-
tensively in the San Joaquin valley.
"It is planned to disseminate through
this congress more intelligent idea
about commercial EUCALYPTUS growing,
said j. ]. Travers, jr, vice president
of that company, yesterday. During.
the experimental stage of eucalyptus
growing some years ago many errone-
Gus ideas arose which did little to pro-
mote the industry. These were due en-
tirely to an abuse of the tree and un-
fair, mistaken methods of growing it.
Light will be shed on these points at
the coming congress.
For instance, the fact that the eu-
calyptus is a very hardy tree and can
survive under extremely adverse con-
ditions, created the belief that 1t could
be planted anywhere, on land useless
for other purposes, and that without
irrigation or any proper attention or
dinarily given to other valuable trees
ii would produce all the results claimed
for it by the government. In very few
instances did the eucalyptus have a
decent chance to Vindicate the claims
made for II. It's ability to live under
poor conditions was used against it,
and created the tempetation to plant
it on cheap land with little or no wa
ter supply.
"Suoh methods could not last. A tim
ber tree capable of producing such
immense profits was bound sooner or
later to get the treatment to which
its value entitled it. A tree able to
produce better returns than an orange
grove is entitled to the kind of treat
ment an orange grove gets. The rec
ognition of this fact has created new
epoch in the eucalyptus industry. The
day of the cheap company, poor land,
and little or no irrigation is past. The
results now being obtained on the best
land, with abundant water, is making
it impossible for trees grown under
inferior conditions to make passable
commercial showing.
Water Is an Essential
Surface irrigation has become even
a more pivotal issue than that of
soils. Here, too, the ability of the long
root system of this marvellous tree to
reach great depth in search of water
created the temptation to let it shift
for itself; but results under profuse
irrigation have dispelled the illusion
that little or no water is necessary to
obtain the best results. 1t is a far cry
from a mere growing tree to the
growing to it's maximum capacity.
"It must be remembered. that maxi
mum growth in the minimum of time
is the one aim of eucalyptus growing
as a money making enterprise. Any
thing interfering with this end at any
stage is. a defect in the method en-
ployed. Innumerable experiments have
proved that the value of water in am
pie supply during the first three years
of the life of the tree cannot be over
estimated. and the time has arrived
when only those companies having
such water supply can meet the de-
mands of discriminating investors.
mo tree that has had to struggle
through its early life with scant water
supply can ever regain the growth lost
curing IndL perlOu. Trees well lrf1gaC-
ed when young make.twice the growth
of trees on the same soil unaided by
water The mo irrigation doctrine
has prevented results that were other
wise obtainable. With the same good
sense and scientific care that is be-
slowed on an orange grove the results
exceed any claim ever made by the
government for eucalyptus, and the
public is now demanding that all the
needful factors for maximum results
exist in the acreage they consider as
an investment.
Systematic Cultivation Necessary
"In fact, irrational methods of the
past, now largely discarded, are who'll
ly responsible for any false ideas that
once existed about the returns possi-
BILE from eucalyptus. No land can be
used for any purpose whatever that
will yield such returns as eucalyptus
in those carefully selected spots which
provide food conditions for it's ma
imum growth.
with the present awakening OF the
country to our acute timber shortage
and the real possibilities Of eucalyp-
tus growing for profit, when done
properly, there is now in progress a
movement of immense significance to
California which is likely to eclipse the
citrus industry, oil and gold as a
wealth Droducer But to get these re-