June, 1910.] 



511 



Miscellaneous Products. 



It is also believed to possess several 

 other properties. " Daryali-naryal " says 

 S.A. Ravat, "is corrupted iu Bombay 

 into Jehari-naryal which means ' pois- 

 onous Coconut,' and it is believed to 

 be so by the common people. It 

 is, however, non-poisonous, and is com- 

 monly given to children, mixed with 

 the root of Nux vomica, for colic. It 

 seems to act mechanically, like Bismuth." 

 Rubbed up with water, it is given by 

 natives to check diarrhoea and vomiting, 

 especially in cholera. Some believed 

 that the water of the green fruits or its 

 soft kernel is antibilious and antacid 

 when taken after meals. 



It is to be regretted that the tree is not 

 cultivated, and that a practice has 

 prevailed of cutting it down in order to 

 get at the fruit and tender leaves, and 

 it is to be feared that this will lead to 

 the extinction of the Sea Coconut, which 

 will become in reality as rare as it was 

 supposed to be by the travellers who 

 picked up the first known specimens of 

 its nuts floating on the sea. 



THE UTILISATION OP 

 EUCALYPTUS LEAVES. 



(From the Indian Trade Journal, 

 Vol. XIV., No. 177, August 19, 1909.) 



There are many places in Australia 

 where eucalyptus oil is distilled for 

 medicinal purposes, and there is said to 

 be an establishment in New South Wales 

 where acetic acid is an important by- 

 product in the distillation of the oil. It 

 is, however, at Fort Esperance — about 

 fifty miles distant by water from Hobart 

 — that the eucalyptus oil itself is con- 

 sidered merely a by-product in the pre- 

 paration of the more valuable extract 

 for use in preventing deterioration of 

 boilers. This extract has the appearance 

 and consistency of tar when prepared 

 for export to England. It is shipped 

 with no more liquid in it than is neces- 

 sary to prevent caking in the casks en 

 route, it being thinned, however, on its 

 arrival. The extract is said to diffuse it- 

 self through the water of boilers and 

 cleanse them of any acid, greasy or 

 saline matter, forming with such delet- 

 erious ingredients a harmless sediment 

 which sinks to the bottom, and it pre- 

 vents any formation of crust round the 

 water-line. The American Consul at 

 Hobart says that four tons of eucalyptus 

 leaves will produce one ton of the ex- 

 tract for boilers, and about seventy or 

 eighty pounds of eucalyptus oil. Twigs 



of the leaves are taken off the trees ir- 

 respective of the age or height of the 

 tree, except that old tress are not pre- 

 ferred owing to the great preponderance 

 of woody matter. They are placed in 

 large bags, and, by an iron hook arrange- 

 ment, are carried down the hill-side 

 along wires specially strung for their 

 easy transportation to the mill. The 

 leaves are for the most part about ten 

 inches long, and from an inch to an 

 inch and a half wide. The leaves mostly 

 used at the establishment referred to 

 above arc taken from an underbrush of 

 trees in " bush" destroyed by fire about 

 two years ago. The same trees may be 

 considered good for another crop of satis- 

 factory leaves in about three years after 

 the first leaves have gone to the mill. 

 The leaves are placed in a large cauldron, 

 called a digester, and steam is applied 

 for four hours. During this steaming 

 the acetic acid in die leaves passes out 

 as vapour, tne eucalyptus oil is carried 

 by the steam to the condenser, the waste 

 water being separated by the use of a 

 syphon. The residuum in the digester 

 is then subjected to steam presure, by 

 means of which the valuable extract is 

 obtained, being first, however, boiled 

 down to the consistency of tar. The 

 woody matter which is left in the 

 digester after the oil and extract have 

 been taken out is then removed, and 

 burned as lefuse. In order to prevent 

 the digesters being eaten by the action 

 of the acetic acid in the leaves they are 

 painted with the extract before the 

 leaves are put in and the steam applied. 

 Some experiments have recently been 

 made at Port Esperance to ascertain if 

 varieties of eucalyptus leaves, other 

 than the blue gums, could be used for 

 the production of both boiler extract 

 and eucalyptus oil and as a result it 

 appears that practically every variety 

 of eucalyptus leaf will furnish the boiler 

 extract, but that the best quality of 

 eucalyptus oil by-product is obtained 

 from the blue gum. The stringy bark 

 contains more of the extract, but less of 

 the oil than the blue gum. The local 

 consumption of eucalyptus oil for medi- 

 cinal purposes is very large. There are 

 other uses to which, it is said, eucalyptus 

 can be put, although there has, as yet, 

 been no practical demonstration of 

 such uses in Tasmania. An illuminant, 

 known as "gum gas," can be produced 

 from the leaves, and is said to give a 

 bright light. A a Australian authority 

 has estimated that 10,000 feet of gas can 

 be obtained from a ton of leaves. The 

 eucalyptus bark is said to contain a 

 fibre suitable for paper, and eucalyptus 

 woods are considered valuable for many 

 purposes. 



