The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1910-04-21
EUCALYPTUS SOLVES
FOREST PROBLEM
Growing of Trees Becoming an In.
portant Industry in California
From the San Francisco Call, Feb. 10. 1909,

sor commercial purpooco Is Tdpluly
aaf,ning itself as an important indus
~ in California. Seldom has action
..uowed so closely upon the heels of
,.sormation. The lure of eucalyptus
.,,ture is the large and speedy re-
,,rns which it promises. The govern
ant through the department of agri-
,n,ture and it's forestry bureau, has
,oen the prime mover in ascertaining
tocts about eucalyptus in it's native
Australia and in California, the land
= ito adoption. The government has
g,ven out it's findings through official
bulletins, and it is well that the edu-
cation of the people has been under
taken in this way, for the statements
~ the rapidity with which the euca-
,vntus mature and the profits await
ing the grower are so surprising that
they might not be accepted as truth
ml without the governments stamp.
Study Timber Famine.
The experts of the department of
agriculture did not set out directly
TO investigate eucalyptus, but rather
to study the threatened timber fam
inc in the United States and to learn
what offsets were to be had when
there was no more native hickory,
oak walnut, ash or other hardwoods
In Of hn min
other soft woods was going through
the mills. Forester Clifford Pinchot
had declared that in 20 years the re-
naming lumber forests would have
been wiped out of existence and
that very real timber famine would
be on. The department of agricul-
ture found that while not a pleasant
prophet, Pinchot was sound one.
REPRESENTATION was considered. Oak,
ash, hickory, walnut, pine and spruce
might be set out upon the denuded
areas, but no mature trees could be
expected under so years, and some
Of the varieties would require 800
years to make them ripe for the saw.
The remedy was too slow to be effec-
tive; 1t could not avert famine. South
America, Europe and even Asia were
asked what they had to offer in the
way of lumber surplus. The answers
were wholly discouraging. Then 1t
was that the department set out to
discover, If possible, tree which,
while possessing all the valuable
qualities of the native hardwoods,
would mature in far less time. And
thus the government came at last to
eucalyptus. Through the Unconditional
statements such as characterize gov
eminent bulletins there creeps an
irrepressible enthusiasm which be-
speaks the belief of the investigators
that they have made valuable find,
indeed
Apparently, If the whole denuded
forest area OF the country might be
planted 20 the various eucalyptus the
timber famine could be averted, but,
as the department of agriculture says
on page 2 of Forest Circular No. %:
Its intolerance of frost restricts the
planting of eucalyptus in this country
almost entirely to the temperate val
leys of California"
Gives State Advantage.
This places California in the posi-
ton of being able to supply about all
the hardwood which the United
States will be able to obtain over a
long period of years. In fact, Call
fornia is taking up in earnest an in
dustry which may engage 1t proiit-
ably for all time. In one OF the oe-
partment's bulletins statement Is
made to the effect that the eucalyp-
tus tree is SO free of pests anu
Dhghts, and so Independent or Varl'
able weather conditions, while the
market for the product is so certain
and profitable, that very many OF
the present fruit growers ami vine
yardists of California could wei
AFFORD to pull their trees and vines
out Of the ground and replant to eu
calyptus.
In Australia the life history OF the
eucalyptus is easily studied, for IL
that country the wood has long peer
used for every conceivable purpose
and there are eucalyptus trees sui
growing which are 500 years old, nav
Ing diameter of SO feet. In addltloi
10 being the fastest growing trees
Known, the eucalyptus, with the SIN