The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1879-08-16
TOPICS ron THE FARM.


Some Antipode0n Trees.-Certain
kinds of the eucalyptus tree, of which
there are many species, most of them
indigenous to Australia, have acquired
wide reputation for their influence in
drying marshy soils and preventing
malarious diseases. Some two million
of them have been planted in Algeria
{, by the French Government, which has
granted subvention to company for
planting many more. They have been
tried as prophylactics at the Cape of
Good Hope, with very beneficial results,
in Mexico and other regions where
malaria is prevalent. Into Corsica they
have already been extensively intro
duced, and the British have put not less
than thirty thousand in the fever-in-
fected districts of Cyprus. On the
miasmatic Campagna about Rome, they
are being set out, and will, it is thought,
have most wholesome influence. The
variety known rs the Tasmanian blue
gum tree is one of the most effective
purifiers of the air, although other
species, notably the Eucalyptus amygda-
lima, serve the same purpose. The tree
is valuable in many ways. Its leaves
are usually entire and leathery, secret
ing much volatile aromatic oil, and in
stead of presenting their surfaces hori-
zontally, often so present their edges,
thus exposing both sides to the light.
Many are called gum trees from their
resinous secretions, and some attain
great size--eight to sixteen feet in di-
|
when green, SO as to be easily felled,
split and sawed, but get very hard when
dry. They are frequently used for ship
building. The bark of many of the
species abounds In tannin, and has be-
come, to some extent, an article of COM
merce. The secretion of one Kind of
eucalyptus, called the Botany Bay kino,
is employed in medicine as a substitute
for kino. The drying powers of the
Tasmanian tree may be accounted for by
its extremely rapid growth, and may
also explain its salubrious character,
assisted by its camphor-like odor, acting,
perhaps, rs disinfectaut. The tree
might do a great deal of good in the
malarious regions of our Northern
States, if it could bear cold weather 1t
will hardly endure temperature below
twenty-eight or thirty degrees, Fahren-
heit, though it has endured, near Rome,
a range of thermometer six or seven
degrees lower. Winters, in this latitude,
would inevitably destroy the eucalyp-
tus, unless put in boxes and removed
during severe weather, and this would
be difficult to manage with trees of SO
large size.
The Profits of Farming.-It is now
estimated that the wheat crop of In.
diana for this year will be from forty
to fifty thousand bushels, and will bring
into the State and add to its invested
wealth from $35, 900, 900 to SAC, 900, 900
No such sum has ever been added to the
wealth of State with as little risk OF
as great profit upon the capital and la.
Dor invested. 1t is not an unusual OF
exceptional thing for the product to be
equal to one-half the value of the soil
that produced it. Thousands of acres
of land in the State have, in two years
produced wheat equal in value to the
land producing it. The product in corn
has been very little behind that OF
wheat in point of profit. This, of course,
Is not common or even an average re,
vult, taking one year with another
The past three years have been ia.
sored years with the farmers, and the
farmer who has not done we'll during
that period may reasonably conclude
that there is something wrong in his
case demanding investigation. We
make no reference here to Indebtedness
and embarrassment from that cause,
under which thousands of farmers are
laboring in common with all other
classes. Such Indebtedness in nine
cases out of ten is the result of some
other causes than following their agri-
cultural pursuit. Considering. there
fore, the profit of the business as it is
pursued by the average Western farmer,
what may it be made when, by diligent
research and experience, it is brought
to that degree of perfection which has
been attained in England and some of
the New England States.-Lndianapols
Journal
Fruit Blight and Insects. fruit
tree blight has been an absorbing topic.
Plebeian and philosopher alike have ex-
perimented and discussed the phenon-
ena at length without arriving at any
definite cause that could be avoided
through vigilance or otherwise. The
professor of science attempts to solve
the problem, and views the blighted
branch with a microscope, and either
| gives it up in despair or adds another
| item tn the already rom t1oSc ground Loco