15G 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[SEn. ], 1899. 
height of between 20 and 30 feet, with a thick stem 
in proportion. 
I began to be prond of having introduced this 
\^onderful tree, which then had the reputation of 
draining marshes. Well, one monsoon came with 
torential rains, and eveiy one of my beautiful B. 
Globulus died from too much water at the roots, 
and an atmosphere saturated with moisture. I began 
then to be sceptical about the supposed properiies 
of this faat-growing tree of draining marshy land. 
The only variety which I succeeded in growing 
was the E. cilriodora, which, when it sheds its 
bark, leaves the stem a? white as snow. It flowered 
and seeded ; but 1 do not know what ihe result 
was after I left. 
On another occasion I landed at Naples from 
Bombay in January. It was snowing, and the pools 
round the fountains were hard frozen — a very un- 
usual occurrence in (hat latitude. On my way from 
Naples to Eome I saw a number of large Eucalyptus- 
trees — presumahly E. Globulus -killed by frost. 
The only place in India where I saw the Euca- 
lyptus Globulus thrive was on the Nilgherry Hills 
at Ootacamund. The frost there is very slight, and 
occurs only on the highest ridges: and the drainage 
on the hill slopes is very good. It was a beautiful 
sight to see a hill-side covered with the young blue 
trees. The only use they make of the tree there is 
for firewood. As to the Eucalyptus-oil, a lady in 
London told me that when she caught a cold, she 
rubbed a liitle of this oil round her mouth and nose, 
and the cold was scared away. I thought I would 
try this wonderful oil the first time I caught a cold. 
I had not long to wail ; and one hight i rubbed 
some as directed, and got into bed. In a very 
short time my fact felt as if it were on fire. I had 
to jump out of bed and put my face in a basin of 
cold water, whe i I got some peace ! 
A friend of scientific culture assures me that in 
the City there is an insurance company who em- 
ploy a large number of clerks. During an epi- 
demic of influenzi, the porter was instructed to go 
round and drop Eucalyptus-oil on the blotting-pad 
of each clerk, and my friend asserts that not one 
of those clerks got influenza. They were all the 
time inhaling an atmosphere containing the essential 
oil of Eucalyptus. Such a thing, it would seem, 
might easily be verified. I am not aware, however, 
that any scientific investigation has over been made 
of the properties of this oil. Wlien a new drug is 
introduced, the sellers of it exaggerate its curative 
properties to such an extent that it soon falls into 
discredit and neglect. There are few things in 
■ Natuie that have not some use. 
The history of the metal " thorium " is a lesson. 
It was veiy rare, and was thought to be very use- 
less. Now, however, as Thoria, it is used every- 
where for incandescent light?. The demand for this 
metal caused geologists and chemists to search for 
it, and it was found that, af er all, it was not so 
very rare. When a thing is pronounced useless, it 
means that no use for it has yet been discovered. 
In an article in the Gardeners' Chronicle on 
"Rome," it was stated that the Tr^ip ists near Rome 
■ can now live where, before they planted Eucalypti, 
they could not live. In the National Beviem for 
February, 1899, in an article on the "Rule of the 
Chartered Company," by H. 0. Thomson, p. 901, this 
is stated; — "Look at Tasmania . . . with a glo- 
rious climate, in which it is difficult to feel ill, with 
Eucalyptus forests in whxh fever cannot exist," d'o. 
Now is all this true, or is it mere hearsay ? If Tas- 
mania has such a glorious climate, why should the 
non-existence of fever be attributed to Eucalyptus 
forests. 
Then in the Standard of February 14, 1899, it is 
stated that " Influenza has made its appearance 
again . . . and alike in church and on' Chang 
the odour of Eucalyptus is significantly perceptible." 
Rightly or wronglv, )nany people evidently believe 
in the property of Eucal>pius oil of staving off 
influenza. Investigators of the future will have t 
find out what is true and what is not true, not onl 
in this, but in many other things. In a butcher's 
shop I saw a miserable-looking plant of E. Globulus 
in a pot. I asked why he kept it there ? He said, 
" It keeps away flies " I thought I would try the 
experiment in my i-oom, where flies abound in 
summer. I cut some branches off a blue Gum-tree 
I have, and placed them in a jug of water on the 
mantelpiece. Lo and behold, that very same even- 
ing there was a fly on the wall a few inches above 
the Eucalyptus leaves, and I have been told that 
flies have been seen to actually settle on its leaves! 
t'. Uonaoia, M. 1). 
♦ 
OIL ENGINES AND TEA MANUFACTURE. 
Sir, — In reply to Mr Turbervill's query re oil 
engines and the cost per lb. made tea, " Petrol" only 
has vouchsafed an answer, but I do not wholly agree 
with him. I contend the cost per lb. made tea would 
(relatively speaking) rather depend upon the con- 
sumption of oil by the engine per H.-P per hour, viz, 
of an engine consuming one pint of oil per H.-P. 
per hour and that using only hair pint per H-- P. per 
hour — than the outturn of made tea per hour i^as 
per " Petrol' ) as this could be obviated by having 
two smaller sized engines of, say, 12 and 8 H.-P. 
instead of one 20 H.-P. engine, excess of power 
in one engine being economy on the wrong side 
wastage of power meaning the same in oil — hence an 
enhanced cost. Takiug a six months' working, I find 
that oil has cost me '^(j cents prr] lb. of made tea, 
This includes transp ut of oil, &c., &a., and minus 
the rebate at 25 cents per gallon. (This in what 
Mr. Tuibevill wants to get at.) The engiue in use 
bsing a 17 H. P. Campbell's, and using one pint 
per H. P. per hour, and the consumption of oil beii g 
about 1.H8 gallon per hour, my contention may be easily 
seen. Using an engine consummg only half pint per 
il P. per hoar, I shauld imagine TO cents per lb. would 
be a safe figure for and estimate of cost. — Yours, &c. 
W. R. SHELTON AGAR. 
Mount Temple, Gampola, July 12lh. 
II. 
Sir. — Be oil and oil engines and the information 
asked for by your correspondent, the cost per pound 
of tea must depend a good deal on the yield daily. 
But, taking a busy month, in my small factory, 
with an 8 H.-P. Tangye engine working a Davidson 
large sirocco down-draft, a large roller, and two small 
rollers, and sifter and roll-breaker, my made tea was 
over 18,000 lb., and the oil consumed, "Russian" — 
which is much inferior to American" — was 46 tins, 
or 23 cases, which cost me on the estate R5 per case. 
So We get R 115— say 11,500 cents for 1800 lb. of tea. I 
oonlJ have made more tor the same money. Of course, 
when the yield is small, the cost is comparatively 
greater— for instance, to make 103,000 lb. of tea has 
cost me Rl,l"24. Your correspondent will find oil a 
cheap motor-power provided the cost of the oil is not 
excessive. — Yours, &c., 
H. DRUMMOND DEANE. 
Sfcflgbrook, Peermaad, Travanoore, July 10th. 
— " Local Times.'' 
Vanilla Cultuee in Tahiti.— The increase 
of Vanilla cultuie in Tahiti is said to be spread- 
ing r.apidly ; llie natives, with few exception.?, 
are giving their whole attention to the growth 
of the plant, and curing of the nods. Its ex- 
port, which in 1893 was 29,858 lb., valued at 
£3,938, reached during 1898 to 92,137 1b., but 
owing to a serious decline in its market vnlue, 
that quantity realised only £20,468, as against 
£35,862 for 75,740 lb. in 1897.— Planting Opinion. 
