028 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [February3, 1872. 
THE ECONOMIC PRODUCTS OF EUCALYPTUS 
TREES.* 
Continuing his notice of the economic products of 
forest trees, Dr. Mueller next describes another industry 
—one quite unique and peculiar to Australia, namely, 
the distillation of volatile oil from Eucalyptus and allied 
Myrtaceous trees. While charcoal, tar, wood-vinegar, j 
wood-spirit, tannic substances, and potash arc obtain¬ 
able and obtained from the woods of any country, there 
is in Australia a peculiar resource in the Eucalyptus oil. 
In no other part of the globe do we find the Myrtacecc to 
prevail; in Europe it is only the Myrtus of the ancients, j 
the beautiful bush for bridal wreaths, which there rcpre- 
sents this particular family of plants; and although 
copious species of Eugenia and other berry-bearing 
genera, including the aromatic clove and allspice, are | 
scattered through the warmer regions of Asia, Africa, 
and America, all pervaded by essential oil, they do not j 
constitute the main bulk of any forests as there, nor can | 
their oil in chemic or technic properties be compared to ! 
that of the almost .exclusively Australian Eucalyptus. | 
This special industry exemplifies also, in a manner quite 
remarkable, how from apparently insignificant experi¬ 
ments may arise results far beyond original anticipa¬ 
tions. It is now possible to produce the oil at a price so 
cheap as to allow the article to be used in various 
branches of art—for instance, in the manufacture of 
scented soap, it having been ascertained that this oil 
surpasses any other in value for diluting the oils of 
roses, of orange flowers, and other very costly oils, for 
which purpose it proves far more valuable than the oil of 
rosemary and other ethereal oils hitherto used. As this 
became known, such a demand arose that a thoughtful 
and enterprising citizen of Melbourne was able to export 
about 9000 lb. to England and 3000 lb. to foreign ports, 
though even now this oil is but very imperfectly known 
abroad. The average quantity now produced at his 
establishment for export is 700 lb. per month. Alcoholic 
extracts of the febrifugal foliage of Eucalyptus globulus 
and E. amygdalina have also been exported in quantity 
by the same gentleman to England, Germany and 
America. Similar substances from various Melaleucas 
might be added. Originally an opinion was entertained 
that all the Eucalyptus oils had great resemblance to 
each other; such, however, proved not to be the case 
when accurate experimental tests came to be applied. 
Thus, for instance, the oil, which in such rich per¬ 
centage is obtained from Eucalyptus amygclalina , though 
excellent for diluting the most delicate essential oils, is 
of far less value as a solvent for resins in the fabrication 
of select varnishes. For this latter purpose the oil of 
one of the dwarf Eucalypts forming the Malice Scrub, 
a species to which Dr. Mueller gave, on account of its 
abundance of oil, the name Eucalyptus oleosa , nearly a 
quarter of a century ago, proved far the best. It is this 
Mallee oil, which is now r coming into extensive adapta¬ 
tions for dissolving amber, Kauri resin and various 
kinds of copal. Mr. Bosisto’s researches are recorded in 
the volume of the Royal Society of Victoria for 1863 ; 
Mr. Osborne’s, in the Jurors’ Reports of the Exhibition 
of 1862. In alluding so far to this oil distillation, Dr. 
Mueller said ho had a special object in view. He wished 
to see it adopted far and near as a collateral forest in¬ 
dustry, now- that the way for the ready sale of the pro¬ 
duct is so far ipaved. The patentee is willing to license 
any person to adopt his process, and he is also ready to 
purchase the oil at a price which would prove remune¬ 
rative to the producer. If it is now considered how- inex¬ 
haustible a material for this oil industry is everywhere 
accessible in the Australian ranges, how readily it is 
obtainable, particularly at saw- mills and at splitters' 
establishments, and how easily the process of the distil¬ 
lation can be performed, it really seems surprising that 
* From Baron von Mueller’s Lecture on Forest Culture. 
See ante, p. 565. 
these facilities should not be seized upon, and that under- 
such favourable circumstances a far larger export of this 
mercantile commodity should not be called forth. Those 
Eucalypts are the most productive of oil from their leaves, 
which have the largest number of pellucid dots in 
these organs ; this is easily ascertained by viewing the 
leaves by transmitted light, wdien the transparent oil- 
glands will become apparent, even without the use of a- 
magnifying lens. Mr. Bosisto is also a purchaser of 
scented flowers, indigenous as well as cultivated, in¬ 
cluding even the Wattle flowers, for the extraction of 
delicate scents, under a clever process discovered by 
himself; and it is astonishing what an enormous demand 
for these perfumes exists in European markets. This 
may be a hint to any one living in or near the forests 
where the extraction of the scent could be locally accom-’ 
plished from unlimited resources, with little trouble and 
cost. 
There exists another special industry in its incipient 
state, which might be regarded as essentially Australian, 
and v-hich also might be widely extended; namely, the 
gathering of seeds of many kinds of Eucalyptus, and 
also of some Acacias and Casuarinas, for commercial ex¬ 
port. No doubt the collecting of seeds is effected among 
the forest trees of any country, and very important 
branches of industry these gatherings are in very many 
localities abroad. But wdiat gives to the Australian ex¬ 
port trade of forest seeds such significance is the fact, 
that there is thereby offered means of raising woods 
with far more celerity and ease than would be possible 
through dissemination of trees from any other part of 
the globe, it being understood that the operations are 
instituted in similar climatic zones. Trees with softer 
kinds of woods, such as poplars and willows, even 
though they may rival some of the Eucalypts in quick— 
ness of growth, cannot be well drawn into comparison, 
as most of them do not live in dry soil, nor attain lon¬ 
gevity, nor assume gigantic dimensions, nor furnish 
timber of durability. But there are still other reasons, 
which have drawn the Eucalypts into extensive cultural 
use elsewhere—for instance, in Algeria, Spain, Portugal,, 
Italy, the south of France, Greece, Egypt, Palestine, 
j various uplands of India, the savannahs of North Ame¬ 
rica, the lianas of South America, .at Natal, and other 
places in South Africa, and even as near as New 
Zealand.* One of the advantages offered is the extra¬ 
ordinary facility and quickness with which the seeds are 
raised, scarcely any care being requisite in nursery 
I works,—a seedling, moreover, being within a year, or 
even less time, fit for final transplantation. Another 
advantage consists in the ease with which the transit can 
be effected, in consequence of the minuteness of most 
kinds of Eucalyptus seeds,f there being besides no diffi¬ 
culty in packing on account of the natural dryness of 
! these seeds. For curiosity’s sake Dr. Mueller had an 
ounce of the seed of several species, counted, with the* 
following results :— 
Blue-gum tree, 1 ounce—sifted fertile seed grains,, 
10 , 112 . 
Stringy-bark tree (unsifted), 21,080. 
Swamp-gum tree (unsifted), 23,264. 
Peppermint Eucalypt (unsifted), 17,600. 
According to this calculation 161,792 plants could bo- 
raised from 1 lb. of seeds of the blue-gum tree. If only 
half the seeds of such grew, the number of seedlings would 
bo enormous; and even if only the seedlings of one 
! quarter of the seeds of 1 lb. finally were established they 
would suffice, in the instance of the blue-gum tree, to 
cover 404 acres, assuming that we planted at the rate of' 
* The seeds of Eucalyptus rostrata (red-gum tree) are avail¬ 
able for all tropic countries, inasmuch as this species, which 
is almost incomparably valuable for its lasting wood, rauges. 
naturally right through the hot zone of Australia. 
f The seeds of the West Australian red-gum tree ( Euca¬ 
lyptus calophylla) and the East Australian bloodwood-tree- 
(Eucalyptus corymbosa) are comparatively large and heavy.. 
