Vll 



PREFACE. 



THE continual applications received by us, during the last few years, for 

 further data concerning the physical and chemical properties and commercial 

 possibilities of the oil products of the Eucalypts than those given in the 

 first edition, which has now been out of print for some time were the chief 

 incentives which moved us to place our latest researches on these wonderful 

 trees into the present book form. 



In the previous edition the species more particularly investigated were 

 those restricted to the South Eastern area of the Continent, but since that 

 publication was issued the research has extended to species found in all the 

 States of the mainland, as well as those of Tasmania. 



No pains have been spared in the endeavour to insure that the material 

 worked upon was true to name botanically correct ; and in order to 

 determine the constancy of the product from individual species, material has 

 been collected from widely separated localities, so that commercial require- 

 ments for uniformity might be satisfied. 



The collection of such a mass of material for investigation was no 

 small task, the genus being distributed over an area of about 1,000,000 square 

 miles of territory, more particularly when it is understood that, with two or three 

 exceptions, all the distillations were carried out in Sydney under our own 

 supervision, the necessary botanical control being, in this way, well assured. 



Eucalyptus species are often very local in their distribution, frequently 

 growing in localities difficult of access and far from rail and road com- 

 munication, and although expert collectors were employed for this work, yet 

 the difficulties of location were none the less in evidence. 



As illustrating this difficulty of collection in such sparsely settled 

 countries as Australia and Tasmania, Plate cxx is given. 



In the main the scheme of the original edition is again followed, 

 although, of course, much amplified in various directions, in agreement with 

 the many new discoveries and fresh facts brought to light during the last 

 twenty years. 



Where possible the data given in the first edition have been verified 

 and extended by further researches on new and larger quantities of material of 

 the same species, growing under varying climatic and geological conditions. 

 With one or two minor exceptions the chemical and botanical information 

 as previously recorded still stands, and is supported by these more extended 

 investigations. 



To every section has been added the accumulated results of our labours 

 in this direction, during past years, in the research laboratories of this 

 Institution. 



These results clearly show that in the Genus Eucalyptus, Australia has 

 a commercial Forest asset of so diversified and valuable a nature that it 

 has no compeer in any other genus in the whole botanical world. 



