JuLV 2, 1900,1 TFJE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 57 
CAMPHOR. 
Of all exotics that are used f ^r otiiaiuental pur- 
poses, none has takeu so L'iiidly lo New South Wales 
us the Camphor tree. Ou hard stiff clay?, and in 
barren: eaiid, and even in paved yaids, this beauti- 
ful ever-zteeis can be found tlourishing most Inxuri- 
aiitlr- >!o:h;iifi appears to attack its foliage or ^vood, 
and "if a tree gets too big for it;j surroundings and 
is luthlcsslv pruned, not many months elapse before 
it sprouts ai;ain. and becomes a mass of delicate and 
fiHgrant veidnrf. Qnti! quite recently the demand 
for tbe wcri-knovvn resin cf this tree was not ex- 
traori'.iuary, heir.;,' confined to the requirements of 
tlie Str.ggist; hut if late years it bus been used in 
continually lucn asing quantities in tbe conversion of 
collodion cotton with the material known as celluloid, 
which is applied to the manufacture of imitation 
ivory, torto'ioe sbel'. Lorn, and a great variety of 
ingenious deceptions. It is easy to understand that 
aiything lhat can be util sid in the substitution of 
a'.titiLial for fa«t disappearing natural production has 
a great lutuve, and since ihe tree grows like a weed 
in so mnny parts of this Culony, it is worth while 
considering whether local manufacture of camphor 
could not be succes.-f uUy attempted here. 
The following details concerning the tree, and its 
p oilucis are taken from a special report written in 
1897 by Mr. Lester H, Dewey, of the United States 
Division of Botany, and reprinted in Kew Bulletin :— 
Native Jian/je. 
The camphor tree is native in the coast countries 
of Eastern Asia from Cochin Chiiui, nearly to the 
mouth of the Yang-tse-kiang, and on the adjacent 
islands from tbe southern part of the Japanese 
Empire, including Formosa and the Loochoo Islands, 
to H iuan, cff the coast of Cochin China. I;s range 
also extends rnio tbe inferior of China as far as the 
province of ilupeb, about £0" milei; from the coast 
on the Yang-tse kiang, in latitude 30° norih. This 
area, extending fiotn 10° to 34° north latitude and 
from U)5° to 130° east longitude, is all embraced in 
the eastern monsoon region, which is remarkable for 
ahunJant rains in summer. 
The Camphor tiees growing wild in the native range 
are usually most abundani on hillsides and in moun- 
tain valleys where there is good atmospheric as well 
as soil diainage. The temperature in the greater 
part of this-, region, which is partly within the tropics 
arid partly siibiropical, rarely falls below freezing. 
The tree is an evergreen, changing its leaves gener- 
ally in April, and tbeietore the winter temperature 
IS a factor of moie importance than would be the 
case with a deciduous tree. 
Desciipiion. 
The camphor tree is an evergreen, related to the 
bay and to tbe ssssafran of the "United States. In 
its native habitat it attains a height of 60 to 100 
feeti, with wide-spreading branches and a trunk 20 to 
40 inches in diameter. The leaves are broadly lan- 
ceolate in fcim, acuminate at both base and apex, 
of a light gieen colour, smoolh and shining above 
and wbitifh or glaucous on tbe under surface. The 
lower pair of lateral veins are more prominent than 
the others, but the leaves are not as distinctly three- 
nerved as those of the cinnamon and msr.y othir 
species of tbe genus. The small white or greenish- 
white flowers are borne in axillary racemes from 
February to April on ."^hcots of the previous season, 
and are followed in October by berry-like, one-seeded 
fruits about three-eighths of an inch in diameter. 
The fruiting pedicles terminate in a saucer-shaped 
disc, perishing after the mature fruit has fallen. 
liani/e under Cultivation. 
Notwithstanding tbe comparatively narrow limits of 
its natural environment, the camphor tree grows well 
in cultivation under widely different conditions. It 
has become abundantly naturalised in Madagascar. 
It flourishes at Buenos Ayres. It thrives in Egypt, 
in the Canary Islands, in south-eastern France, and 
in the San Joaquin Valley in California, where the 
summers are hot and dry. Large trees, at least 'JOG 
years old, are growing in the temple courts at Tokyo, 
where they are subject to a winter of seventy to 
eighty nights of frost, with an occasional minimum 
temperature as low as 12" to 16° F. The most nor- 
thern localities in the United States, where the 
camphor tree has been grown successlully out of 
door?, are Charleston and Suiunierville, in South 
Carolina, Augusta, Ga , and Oakland, Cal. 
At Charleston Sommerville, and Augusta tlie trees 
have withstood a minimum temperature of 15* F., 
but they have been protected by surrounding trees 
and buildings. At IMobile, Ala., the trees have grown 
and fruited in protected situations, while in exposed 
places Ibey have been repeatedly destroyed by frosts. 
\Vbile the camphor tree v.'ill grow on almost any 
soil lhat is not too v;et, it does best on a well-trained 
sandy or loamy soil, and it responds remarkably 
well to the application of fertilizers. Its growth is 
comparatively slow on sterile soils, but under favour- 
able conditions it scmetimes grows very rapidly. An 
instance is recorded of a camphor tree in Italy a foot 
in diameter and 90 feet high, eight years from the 
seed. Under ordinary conclitions, however, such a 
girth is not often attained in less than twenty-five 
years, and such a height is rarely attained in a 
century. Under favourable conditions an average of 
30 feet in height, with trunks 6 to 8 inches in dia- 
meter at the base, may be expected in trees ten 
years from the seed 
Uses of the Tree and its Preducts. 
The principal commercial uses of the camphor 
trees are for the production of camphor and camphor 
oil. Camphor is employed extensively in medicine. 
It enters into the composition of many kinds of 
liniments for external application. For liniment it 
is used especially in combination with olive oil. It 
is taken internally for hysteria, nervousness, nervous 
headaches, diarrbcaa, and diseases affecting the ali- 
mentary canal. It is a specific in cases of typhoid 
fever and cholera. Camphor fumes have been used 
with success in cases of asthma. It has been used 
very extensively to keep insects out of furs, woollens, 
etc. In Japan, camphor and camphor-oil are Used 
in lacquer work. The oil is somewhat similar to 
turpentine, and could doubtless be used to advantage 
in varnishes and shellacs. It is now used in the 
manufacture of toilet soaps. In Japan and China 
it has been used for illuminating purposes, but it 
produces a smoky flame. 
Among the secondary uses of the camphor tree 
the most important is for ornamental planting. Its 
bright evergreen leaves, rapid growth, and long life 
make it valuable for this purpose. In Japan and 
China it has been the principal tree planted in the 
temple courts for many centuries, and in those 
countries, it takes the place of the historic oaks of 
England. It has been extensively introduced into 
Southern Europe and South America for ornamental 
purposes. 
The wood, with its close grain, yellow cclourj and 
susceptibility to polish, taking a kind of satin-like 
finish, is exceedingly valuable in cabinet-work, es- 
pecially for making drawers, chests, and cupboards 
yt-rrf r gainst insects. The leaves and young branches, 
ula.^irh they have but a slight odour of camphor, 
are packed with clothing or scattered about unused 
1 1 ins to guard against insects. 
The tree produces an abundance of berry-like fruits, 
which are used in Japan and China to make a kind 
of tallow. The fruits are greedily eaten by chickens 
and birds. 
Conditions of Successful Cultivation. 
For most of the secondary purposes, the camphor 
tree may well be cultivated wherever it can be made 
to live ; but for commercial distillation, and for the 
production of wood for cabinet purposes, it must be 
grown under the most favourable conditions. The 
minimum winter temperature should not be below 
20* F., and this minimum should be of rare occur- 
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