Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-05-21

/ LQe aQul1tuTc VI uCDfib Win tuC dIdOlc
earth, the most suitable soil for the recep-
tion of the young plants.
The seeds are SOW in autumn, in a
mixture of ordinary garden. earth, the soil
of the country, and little thoroughly de-
composed manure. This is done in wooden
boxes, which, with the object of keeping
the seeds damp, are lightly covered until
termination has taken place. When the
young plants have attained to about two
inches, they are transferred to very small
flower pots, where they remain until the
time arrives for their final transportation.
The best time for this operation is in spring,
because the seedlings have then quite eight
months In which to gather strength against
the winter cold. One precaution taken in
planting is worth notice. Each plant is
placed in hole of like depth and diameter.
In this way no individual rootlet is more
favored than its fellow, and, as each alb
serbs IFS soil-nutriment equally, the regu.
larity of growth and of the final form of
the tree is assured.
A SPACE OF THREE FEET
Is left between each Seeding; but so rapid
is the growth, that in the following year it
is found necessary to uproot nearly one
half of the plants, which finally find
themselves at distance from each other
of about five feet From this time much
care is required in wedding and particular
ly in sheltering from the wind, for
the stem of the eucalyptus is particu-
larly fragile, and violent storms
sometimes rage in the Campagna. The
other great enemy of the tree is cold, and
this offers an almost insurmountable OBJ.
stacle to its successful culture in Great
Britain. 1t seems to be well proved that
most of the species will survive winter
in which the temperature does not fall
lower than 23' Fair. How fortunately
circumstanced is the culture of the tree at
Rome, may be learned from the fact
that the mean lowest temperature regis
tered at the observatory of the Roman
College during the years 1868 "A was
% AS. Once only in those years cold of
20' was registered, and even that does not
seem to have injured the plants but
when, in 1875, the minimum temperature
fell to l6', the result was the loss in
single night of nearly half the plantation
of the year.
But when, as at Ire Fontane, the con-
ditions OF growth are on the whole favor
able, the rapidity of that growth APP
proaches the marvellous. The mean hight,
for example, of three trees chosen for
measurement by NJ. Vailee in 1879, was
twenty-six feet. and the mean circumfer,
ence twenty eight inches. These trees had
been planted In 1873, or in other words
were little more than four years old. Other
trees of eight years growth were fifty feet
high and nearly three feet In circumference
at their largest part.
THESE FIGURES
Refer to Eucalyptus gtobuIus which GER
tainly crows faster than the other species !;
and it must be remembered that in Warmer
climates the growth is even still more
rapid. have seen, for example, trees Of
Eucalyptus resiniJero at Biidah in Algeria
which at only five years old were already
quite sixty feet high.
The question of how and why the euca-
lypts exercise sanitary changes so impor-
tant as those which have been effected at
this little oasis in the Campagna. may be
best answered when two remarkable prop
critics which characterize many of the Spe-
cies have been shortly considered. The
first of these Is the enormous quantity of
water which the plant can absorb from the
soil. 1t has been demonstrated that
square meter-which may roughly be taken
as equal to square yard-of the leaves OF
Eucalyptus giotulas viii exhale into the
atmosphere, during twelve hours, four
pints of water. Now, as this square meter
of leayes-of course the calculation H.
cludes. both surfaces-weighs two and
three-quarter pounds, it will be easily seen
that any given weight of eucalyptus leaves
can transfer from tie soil to the atmos.
phere nearly twice that weight Of water.
NJ. Vallee does not hesitate to say that
under the full breeze and sunshins-which
could necessarily form no factor in such ac-
curate experiments as those conducted by
him-the evaporation of water would be
equal TO four or five times the weight of
tie leaves.
ONE CEASES TO WONDER
At these figures, on learning that it has
been found possible TO count, on square
millimeter of the under surface If single
leaf OF Eucalyptus globuius, no less than
three hundred and fifty Stomdtn or breath
ing pores. And it now begins to be intelli-
gible that, If such an enormous quantity of
water can be transferred from earth to air,
it may be possible that an atmosphere,
which without such aid would be laden
with malarious exhalations, may be rem
dered pure by this process of leaf distilla-
ton the putrescible constituents of the
stagnant water are absorbed by the roots,
and become part OF the vegetable tissue Of
the tree.
BUT THIS IS NOT ALL.
Like those OF the pine, the leaves OF all
species OF eucalyptus secrete large quanti-
ties of an aromatic essential oil. 1t has
recently been shown-and the statement
has been very impressively put by Mr..
Kinezett-that, under the combined action
of air and moisture, oils of the turpentiue
class are rapidly oxidized, and that, as a
result of this oxidation, large quantities Of
peroxide of hydrogen are produced. Now,
peroxide of hydrogen is-being itself one
of the most potent oxidizers known-a very
active disiniectant and, as the leaves of
some species of eucalyptus contain in each
one hundred pounds from three to six
| pounds Of essential oil, we can hardly
/ avoid the conclusion that the oxygen.
carrying property of the oil is an import
4 ant element in the malaria destroying
power of the genus. Moreover, the oxida-
ton of the oil is attended by the formation
of large quantities of substances analogous
in their properties to camphor, and the
reputation OF camphor as an hygienic agent
seems sufficiently well founded to allow US
to admit at least the possibility OF these
bodies playing some part in so benefcent a
scheme Before closing this paper, it may
be well to note that he TraI pist monks OF
Che Ire Fontane attach much importance
to the regular use of
AN INFUSION OF EUCALYPTUS LEAVES
As daily beverage. Thes tincture of Ell.
calyptus is said to be useful in intermittent
| fevers, though OF course inferior to quinine.
! As we threaded the coast line via Civita
Vecchia to Leghorn, we could not help
being struck by the fact that the precincts
Of all the railway stations were thickly
planted with eucalypts. Since our return
learn with much qualification that the
Italian Government have given grant of