State Agricultural Society. 349 



braised, yield a delightful citron-like odor, and when dried and placed 

 amongst clothes or papers, impart an agreeable scent to them. Four 

 pounds' weight of the leaves 3'ield by distillation six and a half drachms 

 of a pure colorless oil. A few drops of this oil to an ounce of spirit 

 produce a powerful and fragrant perfume, like " citronella." Samples 

 of this oil may be seen in the Kew Museum. 



The timber of man}* kinds of eucalyptus is valuable for a great variety 

 of purposes, and is utilized throughout the Australian colonies. That of 

 the " blue gum" is excellent for ship-building. It has been stated that 

 a vessel built of "iron bark," "box," banksia, and " tea tree" timber, 

 and planked and lined with " flooded gum," " blue gum," and tree-nailed 

 with "iron bark," will attain the highest class given at Lloyd's. The 

 " iron bark " is unequaled in point of durability; its timber is solid and 

 heavy; ami when examined in buildings which have been exposed to the 

 vicissitudes of the weather for half a century, it has been found per- 

 fectly uninjured. The ■' stringy bark " is extensively used for flooring 

 boards, and also for fencing land. The "bloodwood" (E. corymbosa) 

 supplies a hard, tough, and durable timber, useful for shafts and poles 

 of dra.ys; and the black-butt produces a fine timber for carpenters' work 

 generally. The "box" tree furnishes the material for spokes and fel- 

 loes of wheels; and the }'oung trees themselves are used for the shafts 

 of gigs, and are unsurpassed by any other kiod of wood for that purpose. 



Dr. Bennett informs us that some time ago experiments were made in 

 Melbourne to produce gas from the leaves of the eucalyptus. When 

 burning the leaves, a very large proportion of gas arises, producing a 

 brilliant flame from the quantity of oil contained in the glands of the 

 leaf. It has been stated that one ton of gum leaves will produce ten 

 thousand cubic feet of gas — which is equal to that obtained from the 

 best English coal — but the expense of collecting the leaves in a country 

 where the price of labor is so high, seems to have proved an obstacle in 

 carrying out the idea. 



