5io 
Camphor  Tree. 
( Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t     October,  1897. 
USES  OF  THE  TREE  AND  ITS  PRODUCTS. 
The  principal  commercial  uses  of  the  camphor  tree  are  for  the 
production  of  camphor  gum  and  camphor  oil.  Camphor  gum  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  inter- 
nally for  hysteria,  nervousness,  nervous  headaches,  diarrhoea  and 
diseases  affecting  the  alimentary  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  cam- 
phor  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  im- 
portant 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  color,  and  susceptibility  to 
polish,  taking  a  kind  of  satin-like  finish,  is  exceedingly  valuable  in 
cabinetwork,  especially  for  making  drawers,  chests  and  cupboards 
proof  against  insects.  The  leaves  and  young  branches,  although 
they  have  but  a  slight  odor  of  camphor,  are  packed  with  clothing 
or  scattered  about  unused  rooms  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,  especially  mocking  birds, 
which  often  select  camphor  trees  for  nesting  places. 
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  the  distilla- 
tion of  gum  and  oil  with  a  commercial  view,  and  for  the  production 
of  wood  for  cabinet  purposes,  it  must  be  grown  under  the  most 
