The Eugenias : The Cornel Family. 267 



to over 12,000 pounds. It is used also for scenting soaps, for di- 

 luting the oil of roses, and for other perfumes. The alcoholic ex- 

 tract of the leaves is found to be efficacious in intermittent fever, 

 and the balsamic odors emitted while growing are believed to be 

 salutary in certain diseases. From the rapidity of its growth, this 

 tree evaporates a large amount of water that is taken up by the 

 roots, and has a tendency by this means to promote the drainage of 

 pestilential swamps. 1 



1002. In its .native country the blue-gum grows to the enormous 

 size of 400 to 500 feet in height, and over 80 feet in circumference. 

 It even rivals the giant trees of California in height, but not in 

 symmetry of proportion and in solid contents. Among the other 

 species of this genus there are many that grow to colossal size, and 

 some that excel in beauty and durability of the wood. 



1063. THE EUGENIA belongs also to the allspice family (Myr- 

 tacece), and four or five species occur as small trees or shrubs in 

 Southern Florida. The wood closely resembles that of boxwood, 

 and is found to be equally suitable for wood-engraving. It is, how- 

 ever, of small size, and has not hitherto been brought into use for 

 this purpose. An immense number of species of this genus have 

 been described, of which about five hundred are deemed well char- 

 acterized, and some two hundred others as less certain. They are 

 chiefly natives of tropical and sub-tropical regions in Asia and 

 America, and a few are found in Australia and Africa. 



THE CORNEL FAMILY (C&rnacece). 



1064. This embraces about a dozen genera, and less than a hun- 

 dred species, and is widely distributed throughout the north tem- 

 perate zone. They are mostly unimportant shrubs, but some of 



1 In the autumn of 1881, the author visited the Abbey of Trois-Fontaines, 

 near the city of Rome, and saw the operations of planting this tree that 

 were going on, about 150 convicts being employed in the labor. The seeds 

 are sown in boxes filled with rich soil, and the plants were taken out with- 

 out disturbing the roots, and set in places first prepared, and well-watered. 

 They need watering the first season, but afterwards will take care of them- 

 selves. The soil is excessively hard and dry. This region was so unhealthy 

 that the abbey had been wholly abandoned. The planting began about 

 1868, and the place is now inhabited by a great number of persons, and in 

 1881, for the first time, the convicts were lodged upon the premises instead 

 of being taken back to the city every night as formerly. 



