Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-12-23
THE EUCALYPTUS.

Turned to Practical Use by Americans.
When mail steamship line was es-
tablished between San Francisco and
the Australasian islands, enterprising
persons sought to transfer some of the
wild products of the latter region to the
California soil. One thing attracted
the attention of the admirers of nature,
and that was the eucalyptus tree, which
formed ninety-nine per cent. of the
forest vegetation of Australia. This tree
grows very rapidly in that country,
with straight stem reaching common
ly two hundred and fifty feet in height,
and having circumference of seventy
feet at the base. 1t was believed that
as this tree produced a great mass of
leaves it could be utilized for shade
as well as ornamentation, if the soil of
the Pacific States should be found suit
able to its growth. The experiment
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 for
valuable addition to the honey-giving
producing State.
1t was ascertained that the eucalyp-
tus globulus, or blue gum, could be
further utilized as remedy for marsh
and other fevers. So valuable, indeed,
is it that it will destroy and feed upon
the animalculi of marshy regions and
help to eradicate mosquitoes by de-
stroying the food on which they exist.
Its value by being efficacious in such
fevers has given to the tree among
many persons, especially the Spanish
Americans, the name of the 'fever
tree" and it is therefore somewhat re-
vered by the natives of Spanish Ameri-
can countries along the Pacific coast.
The tree produces an essential oil which
is valuable, and resin like the resin of
cinchona. An extract made from the
tree yields a substance capable of neu-
tralizing strong acids and forming crys-
talline salts. The leaves, dried and
powdered, have been found useful as a
medicine for certain maladies, and the
bark and wood have also been utilized
for the same purpose. But the dlscOv-
cry of the most remarkable 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 |
settlements along the Pacific coast. 1t |
will be REMEMBERED that for a long time |
past the engineers all over the country |
suffered from scale forming in their |
boilers and from corrosion. About a
couple of years ago Mr.. George Downie,
the proprietor of Touring mill at
Salinas City, California, was in the
habit of filtering water in an old heater
in order to free it as far as possible
from the mineral qualities that formed
scale in his boiler. Chemical COM
pounds supposed to prevent the forma-
ton of scale had been used without
effect, and Mr.. Downie resorted to the
hltering of water as partial
His process was to
run the water through the heat
er and let it drain through straw
One day he happened to be out of
straw, but as the leaves from one of the
eucalyptus trees which stood near the
mill We're handy he employed them in {
stead. To MIR. Downie's surprise the
formation Of scale in the boiler stopped