The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-07-07
GROWING EUCALYPTUS.

To The Forum: In the season Of
1894, we received at Estero, La. from
Pres Elwood Cooper of the Pacific
university liberal supply of the seed
of two kinds of eucalyptus-globulu
and rostrata,.so or blue gum and red
gum. That season grew several
hundred plants, but the heavy freezes
of the next winter killed them all, If
my memory serves me. I was not
there the next season. The year after
1 planted seed again, but 1t had mainly
lost its vitality, and I secured but a
half dozen globulus and some twenty
five rostrata. About all Of these I set
in a little grove east of the boat land
ing. On the west side of this clump I
set a small triangular group of two
rostrata and one globulus. The next
winter, after they were set, which 1
think was that of 1897, the rostrata
were all frozen to the ground which
accounts for their coming up double.
The blue gums were all killed out ex-
cept the one in the triangular group,
which met with a very remarkable
change. I was away north at the time
of 1t. On my return, Mrs. Stottler
asked me If l knew that my blue gum
had changed to a red gum. Such I
found was the fact, and the evidence
of 1t was unmistakeable.
The process of it dwarfted the blue
gum so that it was not more than a
tenth of the size Of either of the red
gums Its leaves were a little larger
and Of a shade darker green than the
other red gums and were not opposite
like those of the blue gum, but hung
as those Of the red gum, so as to give
both sides. to the sun, causing both
sides to be nearly alike The twigs
were not square and blue like those
of the blue gum, but of the color of
the red gum, and round with an oc-
casional exception which was square
like those of the blue gum.
The lower limbs were blue gum, but
were all dead and still attached to the
tree, showing distinctly the blue tinge,
and square structure, and opposite leaf
marks, The tree was not very vigor-
Gus but as long as it should live it
would tell the story Of its change and
the change was as distinctly marked
as would be the change of a red oak
into a white oak.
/ thought so remarkable a case
should be on record. had often sent
specimens of various kinds to the u.
s. government and had received from
1T boxes in which to send such. l have
one unused one yet. carefully cut
specimens of the dead blue gum twigs
and square twigs with red gum bark;
and wrote a careful description of what
hiaI 10 ~ r-1..
were the only samples and descrip-
ton / ever sent to the government
from which never heard Az the
time of mailing them I sent similar
specimens and description t. fhe
Florida Times Union and Citizen of
which I had been an occasional cor
respondent for years, InsteAi OF
printing what 1 wished they handed it
over to a wise man to comment, and
when read what, he wrote Il said he
could never have seen a blue gum In
his life. 1t seemed clear to me that
in spite Of the unmis:akeah;e evidence
had given, both the paper and the
government thought I was attempting
to hoax them, and became disguised
and dropped the matter, Since, at
the request Of Professor Waldron, the
tree man of the North Dakota Agri-
cultural college, have described the
facts again, and they have been print
ed. These were the only Eucalyptus
trees I ever grew from the seed, but
l. set out in the Estero grounds a small
order of trees of different varieties
sent us from Washington, and one or
two trees that were given to me.
o. +. Lamoreaux.