105 

 EXPLOITING EUCALYPTUS TREES. 



According- to the Indian Trade Journal, interest is being shown 

 in the commercial possibilities of the Australian gum tree, i. c, 

 the eucalyptus tribe. The resultant oil is popularly known as 

 mineral oil, which is, of course, a misnqmer, but it owes this 

 name to its use in the flotation process of obtaining sulphides 

 from tailings. This oil, which is chemically a phellandrene one, 

 yields in one case as much as 86 to 90 per cent coaicentrates, and 

 whilst the Australian Pure Food Act prevents the oil being used 

 for medicinal purposes, its use in mining has gone ahead rapid- 

 ly, as the trees are great yielders. One New South Wales manu- 

 facturer, we are told, is making arrangements to supply 100 tons 

 of phellandrene oil for the American and South African mining 

 centers. One species of eucalyptus yields geraniol, the active 

 principle of attar of roses, to obtain which plantations have been 

 established, the leaves distilled, and the oil placed on the market. 

 Then there is turpentine, both the French and American kinds, 

 French from E. dextropinca, and American from E. laevopinca. 

 The Australian trees, it is claimed, yield leaves that give oil at 

 the end of five years, whilst it takes sixty years for the trees to 

 reach that stage in America and Europe ; and in the States, if 

 not in Europe, the trees are being cut out rapidly. Finally we are 

 told: "The product of the two Australian trees could be utilized 

 n\ the manufacture of synthetical camphor, for which turpentine 

 is rec|uired. From the leaves of a Queensland eucalyptus is ob- 

 tained citral, from which iodine can be made ; from this again 

 artificial perfume of violets is manufactured. Citronellal is ob- 

 tained from lemon-scented gum trees. It is a valuable product, 

 in great demand in Londoai. This by no means exhausts the con- 

 stituents discovered in eucalyptus oils. Their utilization and po- 

 tentialities in many avenues of industry remain to be determined." 



Readers of our book on "wSoil and Plant Sanitation" will re- 

 member that in the chapter o,'n "Protective Belts" we strongly rec- 

 ommend the planting of eucalyptus trees, either to re-forest ex- 

 posed areas, or as belts to break up large areas under one crop, 

 with the view" of restricting disease or pests should they attack 

 the trees, and quote Jamaican, Hawaiian, Nyasa. Italian, and 

 other authorities to show the advantages that have accrued when 

 this has been done. The trees, as we then pointed out, are said 

 not to do well in the plains, but elsewhere where they do flourish, 

 besides helping, as above stated, as belts and shade trees, they 

 evidently yield valuable products, as Air. Baker points out, and 

 also give lumber or firewood when done with. These and the 

 further information re the oil, turpentine, etc., that the curator 

 of the Sydney Technological Museum now calls attention to, 

 should certainly stimulate the planting of eucalyptus trees where 

 they will flourish ; there is, however, one important point to look 



