The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 9, 1902, Page 11

THE SUNDAY CALL UST as San Francisco is thoroughly cosmopolitan in population, so Is Golden Gate Park in its many trees, which come from all over the world. It is probable that there is no other park in the United States having so many rare shrubs and trees growing out of doors and. thriving. This is due largely to the mild climatic conditions that ob- here. 1 it is that to the ordinary pedes- walk through the park the most interesting side , if 0 it may be called. n who is fond of studying 1 the leaves and habit of he trees the field is mever-ending. Cali- fornia is acknowledged to be the richest section world in pines and spruces, ye on the south side of the park are «d the arboretum and the pinetum, where these and species of trees from all the earth receive cultivation. Three trees sre planted at & time of the various then two are transplanted ts of the park, leaving one of each, 50 that there {s formed t quite a collection. al PRE species, other &n playground grows one of the most curious trees, coming, &5 s0 many other interest- ing plants do, from Australia. It is & timber tree, closely allied to the pine, and botanical name is Causerina equise- tum, That may be all right, but its common name, the mare's tull tree, is so very appropriate that every one may use it. The tree has long, pen- dulous bunches of dark green needles, not unlfke the docked tail of & horse. The general hue of the foliage is of a green that is grayish. Scattered through the park are clumps of Or 1 looking plants wjth big palm- ate leaves and slender stems that are al- most of the silver green of the olive. This is the Fatsia papyrifera, & native of Formosa, but extensively cultivated on and of China. It has a thick , from which the so-called “rice paper” is cut. Of the handsome trees armed with gherp spines, called the Auracarias, or monkey puzzle, from the fact that they sre the only tree so painfully difficult that no monkey may climb them, the park has several varieties. One of them, the Auracaria Cookeril, is marked by a peculiar hebit. As the tree grows larger the branches break off, many of them short, until the tree looks like a column of green. The famous Captaln Cook once sent his men to see If the plllars of green that he saw at some distance inland were not the supports or columns of buildings. They proved to be the somewhat gro- tesque pillars of the Auracaria. Another variety, and a very handsome tree, with of almost a metallic green, is the which & fine specimen grows just opposite the park lodge. This is also found In zil end is valuable as & lumbey tree. variety is the particular one that dzunts the monkeys. the park are over 110 varieties of the ecacia, and over 100 varieties of the euca- lyptus, & most interesting family not only for their blossoms, feathery and of many delicate hues, but for the many uses to which the lumber is put. A tree of shapely growth and of the hest green is the cork tree, or Quer- cus suberosa, of the family of oaks. It is found in Southern Spain and Northern Africa. In its native habitat it grows to quite a large size. The bark of this tree furniches the cork of commerce. It is cut from the tree in layers not thick enough to reach the vital part. & specimen in the park is constantly suffering from be- ing cut by vandals. This tree should be more largely grown in California. in the huge conservatory someé | and rare things in plant life now at their best. Fringing the pool are where the water lilies grow and lined Gown the entire side of the next house are great masses of potted Caladiums, with large hastate or sagittate leaves variegated In many ocolors from silver and green to bronze and pink. These are the fancy leaved Caladiums, garden hybrids of the Caladrum bicolor. They are a tuberous rooted plant, whose native place is throughout the tropics and in South America. There are over fifty va- rieties in the conservatory, and among them is the Caladium esculentum; from the root of which the famous Hawalian poi is made. These iplants will not grow in this country without artificial heat, and the bulbs are always imported. A beautiful and rare plant growing near them is the Dioon edule, or Mexican palm, from which comes a starch that is edible. Of the big family of orchids, said to embrace five hundred species, the con- servatory now has two especially rare and delicate ones in bloom. One is the bee orchid, so called from the resem- blance of its blossom to a bes. It botan- ically is called the Vanda tricolor, and Is one of the tropical orchids coming from Java. One of the things that make this particular specimen especially rare is the exquisite and unusually high coloring of the bloom, ranging from royal purple to palest mauve and white. Its perfume is very strong, like so many of the orchids. Another rare orchid now in bloom is the Stanhopea tigrida, with a cluster of large blossoms not unlike the tiger lly, with beautiful coloring verging from yellow to white and cream color. A fine specimen of the California pitcher plant, the curious deathtrap of the files, is here also. Not far away to the left of the con- servatory stands a large Cedrus Libanus, or the cedar of Lebanon. This tree is found also in Syria, Asia Minor and on the island of Cyprus. It is said that on Mount Lebanon itself still remain four hundred of these old trees, some of them measuring forty feet in girth. While, ac- cording to the Scriptures, Solomon used this wood largely in the construction of the temple, it s of little or no value as 2 lumber for bullding. " This is one of the conifers known as the true cedar, of which there are only three, though the name cedar is given to many other trees nearly allied to them. The others of the trio are Cedrus deodara of the Hima- layas, sacred in Indfa, and the Cedrus At- -lsntica from Algeria. There are deautirul examples of both In tne park. Both of these trees are of very slow growth, but fofm hard and durable timber. Near one of the south drives stands s most graceful Norway spruce, the Pices excelsior. It is one of the most orna- mental denizens of the tres world, with its foliage like dark velvet and exceed- ingly drooping habit. This pecullarity en- ebles it to shed with quickness and ease the great masses of snow that fall upon it from the skies of Norway. This spruce is the principal lumber tree of Europe and is known in England as the deal. Another handsome tres found in the park is the Mount Atlas cypress, or Euro- pean larch, of which thousands of acres are grown to furnish lumber for the mak- ing of raflroad ties Btrolling or driving through hedges of the purple blossomed Veronica and the crimson Bscalanium from Chile one may reach hard by the en- trance walk to the aviary one of the handsomest sights in the park. It is the finest group of Australian and Hawallan tree ferns that may be found in America. They are most of them the Diconia Ant- arctica, and their graceful fronds form a solid pyramid of living green. No florist could quite successfully duplicate it. At the right hand side of the park lodge, in striking contrast to its chim- ney of gray stone, flutters in the breeze the graceful leaves of the red leaf Nor- way maple, or Acer Platanoides, Rubra. Just now it Is a mass of clusters of red seed pods and is a thing of beauty. In this immediate vicinjty are some other trees rare in California. Among them is the Robenia, or pseudo acacia of the Eastern States; the silver tree of South Africa, with a leaf of the texture of olive green satin; the Spanish cedar, from the Pyrenees; the Japanese oak or Pinnate fida and the Quercus dentata or water oak. In one part of the park is an avenue of young Eastern sugar maples, which %o far have grown at the rate of a foot in & year. Another pretty idea is the walk planted in the form of an arch, with a tree from each of the original thirteen States, with the tree from Pennsylvania forming the keystone. One of the prettiest of the smaller trees are the specimens of the English yew, the same wood from which merry Robin Hood is said to have fashioned his bow. This TEE The European linden, the same that lines the famous Unter den Linden, is in bloom now in the park. It is & handsome tree. From its blossom is made an oil used by perfumers. A valuable tree is the swamp cypress of Louisiana and the South Atlantic States, the Taxodium distichum. It is a large timber tree, of which the wood varies much in color, It is used in wagon-mak- ing and shipbulding. There are several epecimens in Golden Gate Park. A trim shrub from Turkey that lives successfully in the park is & specles of box from the ‘wood of which foot rules and other use- ful articles are made. An interesting spot is the bog garden of the park, for there are grown only plants or trees needing a swampy environment. A second almost unknown spot'to the general publie, and which s now just béing brought into beauty, is Laveaga Dell, for which the man whom the spot 18 named for left five thousand dollars, to be used in beautify- ing it. It is a sort of a natural canyon filled with live oaks. Old gnarled stumps brought from a distance already peer out from among the brake ferns with which the sides are planted. At the bottom lles a picturesque stream. In & short time, ‘when things shall have grown more, this will be one of the most wildly romantie places in the park. There are many fine specimens of the Sequola gigantea, or redwood, here, and a pretty group Is made at a corner of the drive by three Japanese redwoods. The flowering cherry and prune trees of “Japan, so Intimately cofinected with ro- mance in that country, thrive and bloom luxuriantly In the sheltered places of the park. A mass of Viyid almost fernlike green Is the maidenhair tree, largely used in Japan for timber. Another visitor from Japan rejoices In the jaw breaking ap- pellation of Albizzia julibrissin, and when In bloom is thick with great racemes of pink flowers. The she oak Is a queer timber tree from Australla. Among the trees coming under the name of cedars may be men- tioned one from the far north of Alaska, of drooping habit and dull green in foli- age. Near the conservatory grows the sequola planted by Sequefa Chapter, Daughters of the Revolution. A bed of tobacco plants in full bloom makes a graceful showing near one of the paths. Among other spruce trees not well known in California may be found in the park the Austrian spruce, the Japanese spruce and the blue spruce of Colorado. Another handsome tree Is the Merton spruce of - Northern California. Near the red sandstone bridge of the drive near the conservatory one becomes conscious of & heavy perfume In the air. Go across the lawn to the left of the bridge and you will see the prettiest ob- Ject at present in the park. It is a tall IAEXITAN FALIM tres is scarcely more than shrub here yet. It belongs to the genus Taxus and is & slow-growing, long-lived evergreen of moderate height and spread of branches. In Europe the yew is much used in grave- yards. There are a number of these trees in the aviary, where they are popular as & nestling place for the canaries and other small birds. Another yew of which there are several plants In the park is the gold- en yew. In the spring the edges of fits leaves turn § golden yellow, which adds to its beauty, There are three varieties of the yew found in America, one of them the short-leaved or Western yew, being found #s a native of California. Another of the striking trees of the park. 1s the flame tree of Australia, the Brachy- SOME RARE OoORRTHEiIPS tree that is so full of bloom that it re- sembles & solid shower of yellow blos- chiton acrifolia, with Its masses of bril- #oms. It somewhat resembles in growth llant red. s some of the blooming eucalyptus. It is THE <ORK. TRERD oy — the Hymeuosphorum plebum/ of New Zealand. Two curious but extremely beautiful trees are the Japanese umbrella \its 1ight and gracetul foliage, and the tullp tres, beautiful for its blossom in exact tullp shape, which in the spring in the South vies with the ‘white blossoms of the dogwood in love- liness. Another flowering tree is the Ed- wardsia microphylla from /Chile, which bears in profusion yellow pea shaped flowers. From Tasmania comes the Cory- nocarpus, & lumber tree from which is also extracted turpentine. . The silvery white birch, one of the pret- tiest trees that grows, is found in the park in plenty; also the Babylonian wil- low, the weeping willow of our gardens. Other trees not remarkably well known - are the purple leaved beech, the elm, a variety of Scotch elm and the\Leu- codendron, an Australian evergreen bear. ing cream colored blossoms. These are only a few of the many rare and choice trees to be found by any stu- dent or lover of nature during a few hours in Golden Gate Park. ALFRED DEZENDORF. MOMNMEY PUZZLE THE MNORWAT, SPRO<E A~y IRATARIA DOCKING A WARSHIP. HAT is generally considered to be one of the most difficult and delicate operations that enters into the care of a mod- ern warship Is that of dock- ing, when either length of service or some accident makes such a course necessary. Every precaution must exercised by the officer in charge of the work to see that it 1s properly done, for it has been demonstrated in the most indisputable way that the slightest miscalculation often results in an accident that may re- quire thousands of dollars to remedy. To the uninifiated the sight of 10,000 or 12,000 tons of steel in the shape of a mighty fighting machine resting In a dry dock seems but the result of a mechanical operation In which a number of heavy hawsers, a mob of men and some solid- looking blocks of wood play the principal part. Such, however, is not the case. To properly dock a battleship or cruiser is a problem that has worried many a gallant officer of the navy, and experience has shown tha it is a work that can only be intrusted to the most competent. Not only is great skill and care required In the actual operation, but every detall must be figured out with mathematical accuracy before the work is commenced. | = MARES TAaIn) This is done from & plan of the ship te be docked. The shape of the keel andhull, together with the draught and displace- ment, must all be taken into consideration by the officer In charge of the work, who maps out the position of the blocks on which the vessel is to rest accordingly. In this way It is possible to distribute the strain evenly, and so prevent the bottom plates from buckling, as in the case of the Cincinnat! a few years ago at Southamp~ ton. In this case a man who had no knowl- edge of the difficulties attending the dook~ ing of a battle ship proceeded as he would with a merchantman, using blocks ‘of nearly equal height in the cradls, and it was not until the bottom plates had buckled and caused injuries that cost thousands of dollars to repair that he learned his error. When a war vessel is ordered inte dry dock a copy of her plans Is handed to the officer who is to superintend the work, so that he may prepare for her reception. It is from these plans that he determines the position of the blocks. This must be done every time a vessel is docked, as the conditions vary with the draught and dis- placement. sAfter the mathematical work has beem completed the stationary blocks are set te conform as nearly as possible with the curve of the keel. On top of these special blocks of heavy oak or pine are placed in such a way that when the vessel is finally docked she will not only rest evenly, but without straining. This delicate work done, the vessel is towed up to the dock and warped inplace. Heavy cables, attached to the bow, are used to bring the ship in, and every pre- caution is made to prevent her hitting the sides. Before this is done stakes are driven on either side of the dock at points parallel to line at which it is proposed to rest the stem and stern, and another marker is placed at'the head of the dock directly in the center. The use of these markers la shown after the vessel is in, when she I “lned™ technical term meaning that the boat is in proper place for lowering on the blocks at the bottom of the dock. When at last the great bulk of steel is placed where she should be the cofferdam and gates of the dock are closed and the ‘water is gradually drained off by means of hydraulic pumps. As the level of the water falls the crew swarm over the sides and proceed to wash the bottom, while other men, armed with huge beams, are scattered arowrd the dock ready to DY TREE ) place the “shorers” when the proper sig- nal s given. So carefully are the detalls worked oug that when properly done the vessel is washed and the more important “shor- ers” are placed in position at the Instant the bottom touches the blocks, which, with the beams used, are all thoroughly tested before the operation commences. This 13 :n done by the time the water has been drained from the dock, and the only additional worly done bef of the ship by ‘shorers” under the hull an the sides to steady the boat. “The Octopus,” by the late Frank Norris, has justly been considered the nearest ap- proach to the “great American novel” ever written. As a novel dealing with California life and scenes it is undoubtedly the best in print. This splendid story is now running in The Sunday Call— FREE! NO EXTRA EX- PENSE! * L