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leaf-surface which enables the tree to pass the water off into the 

 atmosphere as healthy vapour. This draining action is in itself of 

 immense service in preventing the possibility of the malarial germs 

 finding a suitable soil. Australia possesses in a very high degree 

 an immunity from fever maladies, the fevers of the large towns 

 being due to insanitary conditions. 



Dr. Day of Geelong recommended, according to Mr. Bosisto, as 

 an excellent and very agreeable disinfectant, deal saw-dust mixed 

 in the proportion of about one ounce of Eucalyptus oil to the bushel ; 

 and remarked that after keeping it mixed for four months, he 

 found it to contain a much larger quantity of peroxide of hydrogen 

 than it did when first mixed and that it continued to accumulate. 



There are numerous species of Eucalyptus in Australia (of which 

 country it is a native) adapted to various conditions of climate, soil, 

 elevation, &c. (Myrtacem). 



Eugenia carvophvllata, Thunb.—The Clove Tree is 30 or 40 feet 

 high when full-grown. The cloves of commerce are the unexpand- 

 ed flower-buds, of which great numbers are produced. The aver- 

 age weight of cloves produced by a tree in Amboyna, is 2 or 2 Jibs., 

 and as it takes about 5,000 cloves to make a pound, each tree will 

 have 10,000 to 12,000 flowers and that twice in a year. 



One of the original trees planted by the French in Mauritius 

 yielded in some years 125 lbs. of spice and there must have been 

 more than 600,000 flowers on this single tree during the year, "a 

 fact'," says Bory de St. Vincent, "which would appear incredible, 

 were we not to mention that this beautiful tree is at least 10 feet 

 high, throwing out innumerable branches, some of which falling 

 down on all sides, form a pyramid of verdure." 



At the end of the year the tree is covered with its lovely crim- 

 son buds shown off by the background of dark green leaves. The 

 buds are picked by hand as soon as they turn crimson and before 

 opening. They are then dried in the sun. 



The form of the dried buds somewhat resembles a nail; the 

 French call the spice Clou, the Spanish Claco, whence the English 

 name Clove. 



The tree begins to flower at the age of six years, yields the 

 largest crops at 12, and does not last longer than 20 years. 



The spice appears to have come into use in Europe after the 

 Portugese, in the year 1511, discovered the Moluccas, where it is a 

 native. TVhen the Dutch seized the Spice Islands, they tried to 

 restrict the cultivation, but the French introduced the tree into 

 Mauritius in 1769, and from that island into Cayenne 10 years 

 later. At later periods they planted it in Hayti, Dominica, St. 

 Eitts, Martinique and St. Vincent. It was first planted in Jamai- 

 ca in 1789 by Dr. Thomas Clarke, Island Botanist, who obtained 

 it from Port-au-Prince. 



Cloves have been supplied commercially almost wholly from the 

 island of Zanzibar. But with the abolition of slavery there, the 

 exports will fall off very considerably, and the supply must come 

 from elsewhere. (ITi/rtacece.) 



