Wilmington daily gazette., 1873-12-18
The 1Gucnlyptus Tree.
A TREE THAT pEsrnoYs MAIARIA.

(From the London Telegraph
At the last meeting of the French Academy OF
Science a very interesting paper was read BY N.
Gmbcrt. Its subject was the alleged fabnfngnl
properties of the Australian tree eucalyptus gtOb
tlaS, which is said to hive the rious ana valna
BILE power Of destroying Tue mAlaTious element ~
any atmosphere where II grows The species 7u
question is one OF that family indigenous to New
south Wales, which the coOnists call gum trees.
They shoot up very quickly, and TO an enormous
height some Of them reaching one hundred and
fty feet, with girth of from twenty-five to forty.
Tue sparse aud strangely twisted foliage Rrows M
thin crown at the top OF the plAr-llks stem, but
the Characteristic of the whole genus is the RAPID
habit of increase seen equally in the iron BARK
the "blue gum, and this particular specimen the
eucalyptus glObdluS. The tree in question absorbs
an immense deal of water from the earth, and al
the same time emits an aromatic Odor, which has
perhaps something TO do with the beneficial inhu-
ence attributed 10 it. Where it is thickly planted
IN marshy tracts the suOso Is said To be drained
IN little while rs though by extensive piping.
Miasma ceases, We are told wherever the eucalyp-
tus hcuishes. 1t has been tried for this purpose
at the Cape, and within two or three years has
completely changed the climatic condition OF the
unhealthy parts OF that colony. Somewhat later
plantation was undertaken OH large scale in va
rious parts of Algeria. At "A farm twenty miles
from Asiers, situated on the banks OF a nver, and
noted for Its extremely pestilcntal air, about
13 900 OF the eucaypti were planted. ln tho same
year, at the time when the tever season used to
sci IN, not q single case OccufroOt YET tue bEccS
were not more than nine feet high. Since then
complete immunity from fever has been main
tained. In the neighborhOod of Constantine, it 10
also stated, was another noted fever spot, covered
with marsh water both iu winter and summer
in five years the whole ground was dried up by
1900 of these trees. and farmers and children Gu
JOY excellent health. Throughout Cuba marsh
diseases are fast disappearing from all the un-
healthy districts where this tree has been intro
duced. A station-house at one end of a railway
Viaduct in the Department of the Var, was 90 pes
tiental that the officials could not be kept there
longer than year of The trees were planted and
1t is now healthy as any ether place on the line.
Such are some OF the facts brought forward by NJ.
Gimbert. II they well established 1t would
be most desirable 10 try whether the eucalyptus
would thrive on the west coast of Africa, and
other maai ious districts of the warmer latitudes.
1t Is affirmed that the sunhower possesses SINH
lar capacity to dry up the subsoil and neutrallze
miasma. Nor should botanists neglect these sug-
gestions. There are more wonders yet in the veg
etable world than are dreamed Of in their philos-
ophy. How passing strange, for example, is that
property of the papaw tree to turn meat tender
A JOINT Of mutton, stepped in a solution oil its
Juice become instantly succulent, and the flesh Of
animals fed upon its leaves melts in the mouth"
upon cooking.