Eucalypts

Thanks to those who have responded to my request for some conversation on eucalypts in California. I grew up in LA in the '30s and our street was lined with E. ficifolia, which made a beautiful lane. The flowers were lovely. The seed pods were used for all kinds of mischief by the children. (If my memory is correct, the pollen if placed down someone's back makes the person scratch like mad.)
A few years ago, researching in the San Diego Historical Society archive, I came across some interesting accounts of the arrival of eucalypts down state - and how happy they all were with them....then.
Southern Pacific railroad planted a mile or so of them near SD for wood to be used as ties. When they were used as such, they quickly warped and had to be abandoned. I do remember the long forest of them where SP had the plantation. Are they still there?
Jack London with some others bought thousands of seedlings from Australia in the hopes that the US Park Commission would buy them for the newly created parks in California. Thank heavens they didn't get their wish...and I always imagined they were sold cheap to nurseries and they were transported everywhere.
They were planted by farmers as windbreaks and these stands can still be seen on Highway 101 below Salinas.
Recently there have been attempts to use the wood for making paper. If that is true, would someone like to come here and buy mine?
There has to be someone out there who can check all these statements of mine for accuracy.   bill grant, Monterey Bay
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