The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-07-16
4" The Fever Tree.

The eucalyptus, or blue-gum tree Of
Australia, was discovered by a French
scientist, Labillardiere, who visited Var
! Dieman's Land in 1892. The great sig
| and beauty of the tree soon gave il a
place in the botanical gardens of Eu-
rope. It's medicinal qualities, however.
for which it is now so famous, do no!
| seem to have become known until abou'
thirty years ago. The colonists of Tas-
mania used it for a great variety of pur-
poses, but were ignorant of its power as
an antiseptic. This was apparently
discovered in Spain. In 1860, the
neighborhood of the City of Valencia
was planted with the eucalyptus. A
marked Improvement in the health
fulness of the locality followed. The
Spaniards forthwith dubbed it the
fever tree" 1t was soon afterwards
introduced into Algeria, the climate of
which seems to be especially adapted to
it. It may fairly be said to be natural
lied there, at the Cape of Good Hope,
in the La Plata states of South America,
and in California. Outside of these
climates, it leads q pTecarioUs life
After trial for many years in southern
France, it has failed, as q rule, to be-
come hardy, or to suck up and destroy
the poisonous vapOrs of the swamps IN
which it was planted. The few dozen
specimens planted within the walls of
Rome are nearly all alive, but very few
of them are vigorous. Within yea
or two, the Irappist monks at the Ire
FOntane convent have set out large
plantations of the trees, and are tending
them with the utmost care. This may
fairly be looked upon as a decisive ex-
pertinent The place known as IRE
Fontane - the Three Fountains lies
some miles south of Rome, and is the
seat of a magnificent monastery. Yet
It's climate is so deadly that the splen-
did buildings, rich in mOsaics, marbles
and fires Goes, are wholly deserted dur
ing the summer. Trying to live in them
then would be certain death. If the
blue"gum tree makes the Ire Fontane
healthy, it can be relied on to do the
same work anywhere else. Its record
as an antiseptic and disinfectant is al
ready a good one. The districts in
which it is indigenous are healthy, and
those into which it has been trans
planted and in which it has thriven
have become healthy. A few miles from
the City of AIgiers there was farm
which was noted for its deadly fevers.
Life on it in July was almost impossi-
BILE In the spring of 1867, l 800 euca-
lyptus trees were planted there. They
were nine feet high by the next July, and
not case of fever appeared. Nor has
one appeared since. Near Constantine,
Algeria, there were vast swamps, never
dry even in tile hottest summers, and
productive of violent periodic fevers.
About Il 600 eucalyptus trees dried up
every square foot of swamp and killed
the fever. MaisOn Carree, near Han
asch, was once a great market for qni-
nine. The demand for that drug has
ceased since the blue-gum tree was
planted there. Mercantile books are
said to show a similar decline in the
amount of quinine consumed in Mexico
and Cuba of late, and similar cause is
sven for it. A very unhealthy railroad
station in the department of Var, south
ern France, mas been made healthy by
grove of forty of these remarkable
trees.
Their introduction into Tennessee
would prevent a vast amount Of fever
and ague, il they would only grow. A
slight frost or a succession Of storms
kills them. They would die here faster
than the patients whose lives they were
intended to save