346 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



to thrive in a foreign land, whetlier in the wild oi' the domesticated 

 state, imperatively reqnire care from the hand of man. 



To the latter category belongs, as yet, the Eucalyptus globulus, at 

 least in the extreme south of Europe and in Northern Africa. The tree 

 lias been introduced in those regions, cultivated there on a large scale, 

 but not yet naturalized. But, further, we find it at the Cape of Good 

 Hope, in the La Plata states, in California, Cuba, etc. It was brought 

 to Algeria in 1854, but we date its introduction there more properly 

 from the year 1861, when M. Ramel, whose name we have already 

 mentioned, brought the seed thither from Melbourne. Soon a genuine 

 Eucalyptus furore broke out: every one desired to own the beautiful 

 tree, and they were })lanted in Algeria by the thousand. Like the 

 agave and the opuntia, the Eucalyptus seems as though expressly in- 

 tended for Alo;eria : it is not so much at home on the northern shores 

 of the Mediterranean. In sovithern France, in Languedoc and Pro- 

 vence, after many years' experience, M. Planchon holds out no promise 

 that the tree will ever increase so as to cover the land with forest, or 

 dry up swamps. In Eastern Provence, the Eucalyptus has existed 

 since 1858, and, between Cannes and Monaco, it thrives amid the 

 gray-green olives and the Italian pines. Here the Eucalyptus is natu- 

 ralized just as in Algeria. The well-known Princess Dora d'Istria is 

 showing great zeal in promoting the naturalization of this useful tree 

 on both shores of the Mediterranean, At Rome they are now making 

 experiments with the Eucalyptus globulus. At the malaria-infested 

 monastery, Tre Fontane, near Rome, one of the most insalubrious 

 localities of the Campagna, the writer of these lines saw in April, 

 1874, young Eucalyptus plantations tended by French Trappists. On 

 the other hand, the young trees planted in 1858, in the Botanic Gar- 

 den of Pampelmousses, on the island of Mauritius, perished in 1868. 

 The ti-ee could not withstand the violent storms to which that island 

 is exposed. 



In their native soil several species of Eucalyptus attain an ex- 

 traordinary height. Baron Ferdinand ^ on Mliller tells of a Eucalyptus 

 amygdalina which, by its height (152 metres), might overshadow the 

 Pyramid of Cheops, the loftiest structure erected by man. Tlie Euca- 

 lyptus globulus does not, it is true, attain such extraordinary dimen- 

 sions, but yet its trunk can yield boards of enormous breadth. The 

 timber being distinguished for solidity, toughness, and durability, is 

 in request for ships' keels. It possesses certain resinous properties 

 which preserve it from decay, whether underground or in water. The 

 growth of the tree is extremely rapid a rare circumstance with trees 

 having wood of firm texture. Especially in its early years does the 

 tree grow with astonishing rapidity; but it goes on grooving in height 

 till about its eiglitieth year. After that time the stem, which is usually 

 very erect, increases only in diameter. The stem rises to a great height 

 before it sends out branches, and its summit is scantily crowned with 



