12 



THE FORESTER. 



January, 



lands are famous for their unhealthf ulness. 

 Just as the sanitary conditions of the 

 Landes of France and the Italian Cam- 

 pagna were rendered healthy by tree 

 growth, so is it possible to improve the 

 sanitary condition of the southern United 

 States and West Indies. 



Only reflect that the leaves of a medium 

 aged Beech tree if spread out would cover 

 eight times the area that the growth in 

 question occupied and it will be quite 

 apparent that even in the hardest down- 

 pours almost one-fifth of the water is in- 

 tercepted by the foliage and thence flows 

 slowly down the trunks or passes off in 

 vapor. Add to this the immense quan- 

 tities of water transpired by the leaves, 

 often, as with the Eucalyptus, several 

 times the amount which falls on its sur- 

 face in the form of rain. 



That the aromatic fragrance of the Eu- 

 calyptus has some mysterious influence in 

 preventing malaria is probably fiction, 

 although the oil has medicinal qualities, 

 but it is true that every Eucalyptus tree is 

 a powerful pump which is constantly at 

 work sucking the water out of the soil in 

 a degree which varies of course with the 

 condition of the atmosphere. 



The Eucalyptus is easily propagated and 

 grows under favorable influences with re- 

 markable rapidity. It shoots upward at 

 the rate of ten feet a year and grows higher 

 than any other species of the plant world. 

 In half an ordinary lifetime it reaches 

 colossal dimensions and in the short space 

 of ten years it grows larger than the ordi- 

 nary timber trees of the temperate zone. 



It must not be supposed, however, that 

 the wood is soft and worthless. The fact 

 that a tree grows rapidly is no indication 

 whatever of the quality of its wood. The 

 Yarrah (Eucalyptus marginata), in fact, 

 is almost indestructible and is perhaps un- 

 equalled for ships, underground and under- 

 water works, railroad sleepers, pilings, etc. 



Crops may be raised between the rows 

 of trees. According to the Italian method 

 the leaves are edge to the sun so that the 

 small amount of shade it throws is rather 

 a benefit than a drawback. In this way 

 marshy regions are rendered not only 

 healthy, but tillable. 



The whole aspect of the landscape has 

 been changed in California and the Riviera 

 by the Eucalyptus. In fact no species of 

 trees is capable of exerting a more bene- 

 ficial influence, scenic, industrial and 

 hygienic than those of the genus Eu- 

 calyptus. It belongs to the famous myrtle 

 family and has for its relatives the guava, 

 allspice, clove and Brazil-nut. The time 

 is now oppoi'tune to plant this tree in the 

 neighborhood of Cuban and Porto Rican 



O 



seaports. 



Eucalyptus plants have been extensively 

 distributed gratis to the people of the Is- 

 land of Jamaica by the Department of 

 Gardens and Plantations.. A paper de- 

 scribing the most interesting plants in Cas- 

 tleton Gardens, in the Jamaica Bulletin, 

 1894, says: "Mr. Bosisto, whose exten- 

 sive works for the manufacture of Euca- 

 lyptus oil in Australia are famous, wrote 

 on the subject nearly twenty years ago, 

 giving results which he had obtained by 

 experiment, not in a chemical laboratory 

 only, but by dealing with four tons of ma- 

 terial daily for about twenty years. He 

 showed not only in what way the leaves 

 acted, but pointed also to the very power- 

 ful root action which absorbs immense 

 quantities of water from swampy soils. 

 The roots thereby, to a great extent, drain 

 swampy land and their absorbent powers 

 are assisted by the very abundant leaf-sur- 

 face which enables the tree to send off 

 waters into the atmosphere as healthy va- 

 por. This draining action is in itself of 

 immense service in preventing the possi- 

 bility of the malarial germs finding a suit- 

 able soil. Australia possesses, in a very 

 high degree, an immunity from fever mal- 



<5 <J 



adies, the fevers of the large towns being 

 due to unsanitary conditions." 



The improvement in the health condi- 

 tions of the Campagna near Rome by the 

 planting of Eucalyptus has been disputed 

 by Tommasi Condeli, but his assertions 

 are contradicted by Torelli and Baccelli 

 and by the monks who live in the convent 

 of Three Fountains and who are well able 

 to judge in the matter. Mr. Fawcett, cf 

 Jamaica, ascertained on the spot from the 

 monks the beneficial effects of the Eu- 

 calyptus plantation. This point has also 



