154 
I do not pretend to give from my own experience any infor- 
mation on the curative powers of the oil, but I have read 
enough on the subject to satisfy me that the character given 
to the plant is well founded. A brochure by Dr. Carlotti^', 
of Corsica, goes over the whole subject very fully, and 
journals in abundance have treated the subject. But strong 
as I believe the arguments are, I would conclude that even 
if they were weak the tree ought to be encouraged and 
grown largely, because if the benefit of the curative agency 
were less there is another advantage arising, and that is from 
the nature of the wood. I went to Tre Fontane with a 
friend who planted about a million and a half trees in this 
country annually, and had studied the growth carefully, and 
he said that the best growing tree would require about thirty 
years to grow the wood made in five years by the eucalyptus. 
The question I then asked was this : Does this rapid growth 
arise from the difference of climate in Scotland and Italy ? 
But the surprise of the Italians at the rapid growth was 
equally great, although I am not able to tell the difference of 
increase of the same kind of tree in the two countries. See 
on this also the book quoted. 
M. Lambert, quoted by M. Carlotti, gives the growth in 
Algeria thus : — 
Circumference in centimetres after 1 year 
„ . „ 2 years 
. 10 
. 13 
. 80 
. 40 
. 55 
. 75 
. 90 
.1-20 
. 1*50 
M. Carlotti has seen the growth from II months to be 
equal to 17 cent, in circumference. 
* AssainissGmeiit des Ecgions cliaudes insalubres par Regulus Carlotti. 
(Ajaccio, 1876). 
