Vol. XI. No. 255. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



35 



Certain botanical chanicters, which have been to 

 some extent overlooked in the past.appear to be of a sim- 

 pler and more definite nature, and to fall into clearly 

 differentiated groups Such are the characters of the 

 nodes, internodes and eye-buds; and there are probably 

 certain others. It is possible that careful study would re- 

 veal the nature of variation and inheritance in these; that 

 this would result in a far better understanding of the 

 classification of the sugar-cane and in the accumulation 

 of sufficient knowledge to pave the way for experiments 

 with economic characters. These experiments would 

 first be of an analytical nature, and later might be 

 directed toward the desired synthetical result. 



In view of the points considered above, it will 

 seem that experiment station workers would be ill- 

 advised to divcit their attention from the present 

 methods of producing improved varieties of sugar- cane, 

 and to sacrifice the knowledge and experience gained, 

 merely in exchange for haphazard attemj)ts to .synthe- 

 size new strains along Mendelian lines. In the absence 

 of the necessary analytical data, and in view of the 

 practical difficulties in the way, such attempts would be 

 almost certain to be barren of results. The principal 

 efforts should be directed along the present lines, 

 though casual experiments in Mendelism of the nature 

 of side issues, would not interfere with such efforts and 

 might lead to valuable information. But if a definite 

 course of Mendelian investigation is to be undertaken, it 

 should be earned out by a limited number of suitably 

 placed, special stations, wurking along their particular 

 lines, and unembarrassed by ee gnomic eonsiderations. 

 Their function would be to obtain the necessary analyti- 

 cal knowledge, possibly by commencing with a study 

 of the variation and inheritance of botanical characcers, 

 and thence to proceed to the synthesis of economically 

 valuable strains of sugar-cane. 



Rubber-Planting in Formosa. I'ermlssion was 

 I'runted last year to a Japanese syndicatf tu form a rubber 

 plantation, and some 3, .500 acres of waste land in K;igi Pre- 

 fecture were leased for this purpose. Central American rub- 

 ber {Caalilloa elastica). Ceara rubber {Mani/to: Qkiziovii), 

 Para rubber (//ecea lirasiliensis), Assam rubber {Fiats elastica) 

 trees are to be planted, together with bananas, pine apples, 

 and lemon trees, while plantations ot other trees will be made 

 to protect the more valuable trees iiom wind and against fire. 

 It is expected that the undertaking will be completed in six 

 years. 



The Government horticultural nurserie.- near Kagi are 

 raising large numbers of the above named trees in a planta- 

 tion of 25 acres for distribution to the peasants, who will be 

 encouraged to plant them and taught their (iroper manage- 

 ment. (Dip/omatir and Cansulni Reports, No 47G!) Anuuil 

 Scries, p. 12.) 



THE USES OF EUCALYPTUS. 



These are mostly concerned with the medicinal proper- 

 ties that are possessed by the oil that can be extracted from 

 the leaves; as an antiseptic, this is of peculiar use. Advantage 

 may be taken of a useful summary, of the ways in which 

 Eucalyptus may be employed, which is given in L' A'jricultw e 

 Pratique des Pays C/iands for November 1911, in which it is 

 pointed out that, to P.aron F. von Midler, Director of the Bota- 

 incal Garden of Melbourne, must be attributed not only the 

 discovery of a large number of species, but the first experi- 

 ments in the distillation of the leaves. Further, it is to 

 Bosisto, a chemist of .Melbourne, that the extension of the 

 Eucalyptus oil industry must be credited, as well as the dis- 

 covery of various uses to which it may be applied. 



As far as is known, Eura////ilus mnt/f/dalina is the 

 species that is richest in essential oils, though its rate of 

 growth is far smdlerthan that. of A'. i/Mnttus The researches 

 of Bosisto have shown that the species from which the leaves 

 have most commonly been submitted to distillation give 

 returns of essential oil in the following order: E. ami/ydalina, 

 E. oleosa, E. li-ucoii/lon, E. (/onioi-alyx, E. (jlohxdus and 

 E. oUiiiua. Of these, as regards E. (/lolmlus, the inferiority 

 in the yield of oil is compensated for in its vigorous growth 

 and its abund.int foliage. In any case, it is a fact that the 

 amount that can be obtained from each species depends upon 

 the season and the locality. 



It is a characteristic of E. rostrata that it flourishes in 

 inundated lands and in those subjected to sudden, heavy rain- 

 fall. E. oleosa, on the other hand, is particularly tilted for 

 cultivation in dry and desert regions. 



The article cjuoted above, which presents thi.s informa- 

 tion, goes on to say that the researches commenced by Hiron 

 von Muller, and continued by Bosisto and Osborne, have 

 shown that dicalyptus oil dis.solves, among other substances 

 used for making varnish and such preparations, camphor, pine 

 resins, mastic, gum lilemi, sandarac, asphalt, Xanthorrhea 

 resin, dragon's blood, benzoin, copal, amber and wax, but not 

 gutta-perchi. 



The ash obtained from different kinds of Eucalyptus 

 yields 5 to 27 per cent of potash. A ton of the leaves of 

 E. f/lolniliis will give over 10 lb. of pearl a.sh; while a similar 

 quantity of the green wood furni.shes more than 2 lb , and the 

 dry wood at least G lb. 



In pharmacy, the leaves of Eucalyptus and the oil are 

 employed in many different ways: for pills, cachets, fumi- 

 gants, washes, injeclions, sweets, pastilles, infusions, cigar- 

 ettes for asthma, oils, aromatic vinegars, salts, soap, dental 

 powders and pastes, insecticides, remedies for diseases of silk 

 worms and bees, protection from mildew, fever remedies, 

 colds, bronchial affections and those of the throat and lungs, 

 neuralgia, depression, cholera, vesical catarrh, uraemia, chronic 

 rheumatism, gout, congestion of the brain and of the lungs, 

 for protection against mosquitoes, and even for the purpo.se 

 of reducing adipose tissue. Lastly, the oil is largely made 

 use of in perfumery. The matter does not conclude here, for, 

 as it is pleasingly expres.sed by .Morel, even after filling the 

 place of a remedy for the greater number of ills, the products 

 of Eucalyptus may be employed for embalming the bodies of 

 those who have died liecause they were ignorant of its benefits. 

 After mentioning other, similar uses of the oil and resin 

 of Eucalyptus, the article goes on to state that, although too 

 much may have been claimed for such products scientific 

 research has shown that they possess a real value, and that, 

 particularly, the leaves of E. globulus — especially those from 

 young trees —are endowed with antiseptic properties that are 

 capable of utilization in many different ways. 



