*** Source: History and Business Directory of Humboldt County, Lillie E. Hamm, November 1890, Eureka, Cal. *** ---page 043--- [ad] J. E. MATHEWS, Agent for Daily, Weekly and Sunday EXAMINER [ad] HISTORY OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY 43 and increasing demand for the products of this wonderful tree, increasing more every year, we believe that the hillsides will be cleared of the natural growth long before the arrival of the millenium. No doubt, however, that those interested will find it to be to their interest not to permit the entire destruction of these noble forests, and that the modern art of forestry will be brought into requisition to save them from such destruction; in other words, tree-culture will by and by become as important to Humboldt as wheat culture is to the great interior valleys of the State. Mr. Gray's article, referred to above, is so interesting and contains so much condensed information in a small space, that we make no apology for giving the rest of it: THE REDWOOD DESCRIBED. "Redwood (sequoia sempervirens) is peculiarly a California production, being found nowhere except on a small portion of the coast of this State. The whole belt is confined between the 37th and 42d parallels north latitude, or between Monterey Bay, on the south, and Crescent City on the north, an extent of country about 490 miles long. The width is irregular, following the conformation of the mountains, but will average about thirty miles. Below Monterey Bay there is but little timber of any kind, while at the northern extremity of the belt the redwood gradually disappears, and pine, fir and spruce take its place. The whole belt of redwood lies upon the western slope of the Coast Range. Throughout the section named the rains are heavy in the winter, and the fogs dense in summer, coming in from the ocean wth the wind very regularly every afternoon, and during the whole year the climate is mild and even in temperature. Not that I would imply that the section named is one vast forest. These were the original boundaries of the redwood belt. In Santa Cruz there is considerable standing timber, but north of there until you reach the Russian river, the country has been stripped. Between the mouth of Russian river and Crescent City the country is by no means one vast forest. There are large tracts of fine farming lands, extensive sheep and cattle ranges, as well as large sections that have been denuded of their native forests. "As but few of your readers are familiar with redwood lumber, it may not be out of place to give here some of its characteristics and qualities that make it one of the most valuable of the forest productions. As the name indicates it is of a dark reddish color. It is soft, coarse grained and very brittle. The grain usually runs very straight, and is split readily, it being no difficult matter to split out a board one inch thick, eight to ten inches wide, and ten to fifteen feet long. When dry it is much lighter than pine, spruce or fir, but of the logs cut from a newly fallen tree, the butt log thrown into water will often go to the bottom like a stone, while the top logs will float like cork. It is of slow growth. Of timber now being cut, the circles indicate that many of the trees have been standing thousands of years. The bark of the tree is very thick, soft and fibrous in character, and conttains no rosin or pitch, hence fires that frequently run through the underbrush of redwood forests have no effect on the standing timber. [ad] Gibbard & Lever make a Specialty of Bedroom and Parlor Suits Cor. 3d and H Sts. Pioneer Bdg, Eureka [ad] ---end---