Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-27
A WONDERFUL TREE.
Remarkable Properties of the Aus
tralian Eucalyptus.
From the american Amalvst.

From the american analyst.
Some years ago. when a mail steam
ship line was established between San
Francisco and the Austrslasian islands,
enterprIsing persons sought to transfer
some of the wild products of the latter
region to California soil. One thing at
tracted the attention of the admirers of
nature, and that was the eucalyptus
tree, which formed SO per cent. OF the for
est vegetation of Australia. This tree
grows ve.y rapidly In that country, with
straight stem reaching commonly 250
feet in height, and having a clrcumferenc Sc
| OF seventy feet at the base. 1t
was believed that as this tree produced
great mass of leaves, it could be
utilized for shade as well as ornamental
ton, If the soil OF the Pacific States should
be found suitable to its growth. The ex-
pertinent was tried, and slips of the
Australian forest giant transferred to
California, where they soon took root and
thrived in the prolific soil OF the Golden
State. The tree was found to furnish
honey to bees, and in this way alone the
foreigner was soon ascertained to be a
valuable addition to the honey-giving
products of that now extensive honey
producing State. 1t was ascertained that
the eucalyptus globulus, or blue gum,
could be further utilized as a remedy for
marsh and other feyers. SO valuable, in
deed, is it that it will destroy
and feed upon the animalcules
Of marshy regions and help to
eradicate mosquitoes by destroying the
food on which they exist. Its value by
being eficacious in such levers has given
to the tree among many persons, espe-
cially the Spanish Americans, the name
OF the "feyer tree" and it is, therefore,
somewhat revered by the natives Of the
spanish American countries along the
Pacific coast. The tree produces an es-
sential oil which is valuable, and a resin
like the resin of cinchona. An extract
made from the tree yields a substance
capable of neutralizing strong acids and
forming crystalline salts. The leaves,
dried and powdered, have been found use-
tul as a medicine for certain maladies,
and the bark and wood have been
utilized for the same purpose. But
the discovery of the most remark
able use to which this tree can be
put was the result OF an accident
couple of years ago. The eucalyptus
tree had flourished on California soil, and
had been employed as an ornament and
shade tree in many of the cities and SET
Elements along the Pacific coast. 1t will
be remembered that tor a long time past
engineers all over the country suffered
from scale forming in their boilers and
from corrosiOn. About couple of years
ago Mr.. George Downie, the proprietor of
Touring mill at Salina City, Cal, was
in the habit OF ilterng water in an old
heater, In order to tree it, as FAR as posi-
Bile, from the mineral qualities that
formed scale in his boiler. Chemical
compounds supposed to prevent the for
nation of scale had been used without
effect, and Mr.. Downie resorted to the
hltering of water as par
tial preventive. His process was to run
the water through the heater and let it
drain through straw. One day he hap
pened to be out of straw, but as the leaves
from one of the eucalyptus trees which
stood near the mill were handy, he en-
ployed them instead. To Mr.. Downie's
surprise, the formation OF scale in the
boiler stopped, and that which was al
ready there began to be removed. He
thought it we'll to continue his experience
with the eucalyptus leaves, and on prov
ing the result, informed others what be
had discovered. In very short time the
leaves OF the eucalyptus tree fell into
very general use among the engineers on
the Pacific coast for removing scale from
all boilers and for preventing corrosion.