The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-07-02
THE FEVER TREE.

In these times of malaria. what has be
come of the eucalyptus, or fever tree,
over which there was SO much discussion
a few years ago? Prof. Draper, in paper
on this remarkable tree, recently publish
ed, says that as draincr of the soil and
purifier of the atmosphere it has no equal
its root taking the water and gases from
the earth like pump. The tree is indi-
genous to Australia, and, being 4 rapid
grower, attans there to heights varying
from two to three hundred feet The
leaves are narrow, as a rule, and being
white upon one of their sides closely re-
semble the willow Its flowers are pink
ish or white, and in the latter case re-
semble the myrtle. The fruit contains
the seeds, and these are SO minute that
it is said more than 100, 600 plants can be
raised from pound of them.
The professor describes the Campagna.
near Rome, where this tree is of such
hygienic value. The Campagna is a large
undulating plain, where, tiltcring into a
soil loaded with easily-decomposed sui
phur compounds, the decomposing vege-
table matter finds no exit through the
underlying rock. The consequences may
be imagined, but to those who have not
! experienced them are not easily deScrb-
ed. Prof. Draper visited the abbey of
! the Ire Fontaine, where the eucalyptus
experiment has been made. Prior to the
planting of these trees the abbey was
comparatively deserted, owing to the
malaria. but now twenty-nine brothers
sleep there in safety They cultivate at
least eleven different varieties of the tree,
! The rapidity of their growth is marvel
I Gus. Trees four years old We're twenty
six feet high and twenty-eight inches in
/ circumference. showing growth of sis
I or eight feet year. Other trees of eight
years growth were fifty feet high and
nearly three feet in circumference; while
/ in Algeria trees only five years old have
been found that were sixty feet in height
As to the sanitary changes effected by the
trees, Prof. Draper explains two causes.
The first is the enormous quantity o
water which the tree takes naturally
from the soil. \ square yard Of leave.
of the eucalyptus will exhalc into the at
mosphere during twelve hours four pint:
of water. As the square yard of leave:
weighs two and three-quartcr pounds. i
shows that any given weight of The
| leaves can transfer from the soil to the
atmosphere nearly twice that weight o
water. NJ. Nalee, a French writer, esti.
mates that the weight Of water is equa
to four or five times the weight of tn,
leaves. Prof Draper says: Zone ceases
to wonder at these figures on learning
that it has been found possible to coun
on a square millimetre of the under sur
face of single leaf of eucalyptus globu
lus no less than $50 stomata, or breathing
pores.
With such an enormous power Of Sue
ton and evaporation, it is easy to SET
how this remarkable plant purifes the
air of malarious districts. The foul al
is taken up and distilled by these wonder
fGl leaves, the purifying constituents OF
the stagnant water are absorbed by til,
roots and become part of the vege
table tissue of the tree. The >econC
cause of its sanitary virtue is found in
! the fact that the leaves sccrete an arc
matte essential Gil in large quantities
and by the rapid oxidation of these oil
large quantities of peroxide of hydrogen
are thrown off, which is powerful disin
fectant The process of oxidation alst
produces substances analogous to cam
phor, which is also very useful hygieni,
agent.
And yet, except in California, very lit
tie attention is paid to the fever tree il
our country. In California it is not grown
for sanitary purposes. but for shade, or
nament and fuel. In the latter use it is
admirable, as il is SO full of oil that il
burns equal to hickory. We suppose i
could be grown in this country anywhere
! along the malarious Atlantic coast.