Some evidence, however, is available, as a few acres were planted in September, 1911, at Emerald, Victoria, by Messrs. J. Bosisto & Co., with the geraniol and geranyl-acetate producing species, E. Macarthuri. The result from this effort was quite satisfactory, so much so, that recently a considerably extended area has been planted with the same species in the same locality.

Plate XCIX

Eucalyptus Macarthuri

First plantation in Australia of E. Macarthuri, showing distilling plant in the foreground,

Emerald, Victoria.

An illustration of this first plantation of E. Macarthuri is here given (Plate XCIX), as being of interest in this connection. The still for the production of the oil is seen in the foreground.

E. Macarthuri grows quite well from seed, and the rapidity of growth and the vitality of the species are remarkable, so that a continuation of supply of leaf material for distillation from cultivated trees seems assured.

The rapidity of growth can be judged from the illustration (Plate c), which represents a shrub photographed 15 months after the seed was sown.

Plate C.

Eucalyptus Macarthuri. Grown from seed at Emerald, Victoria. Fifteen months' growth.

A sample of the oil distilled from the clippings from bushes only 22 months old from the time of planting the seed, was presented to us by Mr. W. Russel Grimwade, of Melbourne. This oil on analysis was found to agree in general characters with that from naturally-grown material; it contained 70.1 per cent. of geranyl-acetate, saponifiable in the cold with two hours' contact, an amount of ester even greater than that usually found in the oil from old trees, and equal to that from the "suckers."

This result again supplies evidence as to the comparative constancy of the oil products of identical species of Eucalyptus, a factor of consi'derable importance when the cultivation of particular species of Eucalyptus is under consideration.