THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 93 



and see how nature dwarfs these works of man ! The 

 wood is very strong and durable and appHed to a myriad 

 useful purposes. One plank, forwarded to the National 

 Exhibition in 1863, measured 230 feet in length. 



Through the beneficent and persevering efforts of 

 Baron VonMueller, Austraha's world-famous botanist, the 

 trees have been widely distributed over the world, and 

 planted in malarial regions with apparently great benefit. 

 Thus we hear of them in the Roman Campagna, in parts 

 of Algeria and Tunis, in California, and latterly, in our 

 Southern States. There has been some dispute of the re- 

 sult of which we are not assured, as to the reason of their 

 anti-m alarial or prophylactic quality. Some attribute it 

 to their balsamic exudations acting upon the poisoned 

 air; others, to their extremely rapid growth, by which 

 they absorb much of the super-abundant and pernicious 

 moisture of the soil. In both these theories the mosquito 

 appears to be ignored. 



We often see Eucalyptus plants in conservatories, but 

 with us, few of them are hardy. They do well, however, 

 in California, and may be extended to Texas and the Gulf 

 States. 



Certainly so noble and useful a genus is worth our 

 very serious attention from whatever view. If the trees 

 can be successfully grown in any of our states or colonies, 

 they are a distinct and most useful addition to our forest 

 treasures. 



Brown University, Providence, R. I. 



THE WILD FLOWER GARDEN. 



The writer ol this article has always been a lover of 

 native plants. Not simply because they are native, but 

 because they are quite as beautiful as many of the plants 

 brought here from foreign countries. This being the case, 

 why should we not take pride in our home gardens ? 



Many otherwise intelligent persons are under the im- 

 pression that we have few, if any, flowering plants and 

 shrubs that are worthy of cultivation. They have come 



