AVG. 2, 1886,] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



123 



a size and perfection not often noticed, but several hot 

 days were experienced, and the whole of the blossoms, 

 as well as the small buds, were destroyed. 



With reference to my attempt to acclimatise the 

 four new plants introduced last year, viz. : — the Cheese- 

 maker, the Kuiuara, Eland's Boontjes, and the Tree 

 Tomato, I have to state that, with the exception of the 

 Tree Tomato, the plants, considering the very mipro- 

 pitious season with which we were visited, afford hopes 

 that they can be acclimatised in South Australia. It is 

 perhaps premature to say positively that this can be 

 done without at least another year's trial. The Oheese- 

 maker (JVithania Coac/ulam, Dunn.) has found a 

 congenial climate in south Australia. The shrub has 

 grown vigorously, and has stood the drought and hot 

 wdather uncommonly well, for its growth was not even 

 checked. I am convinced that this plant will thrive 

 with us. The "Eland's Boontjes" {Elephantorrlum 

 Burchellii, Benth.), which, as I mentioned in my last 

 year's report, I had received from Mr. Wood, Director 

 of the Botanic Garden, Natal, were planted in pots, and 

 kept in the houses during the rainy season. During 

 this period the plants died down. In the spring 

 (September) they were planted in the experimental 

 ground. They had already formed tubers of the size of 

 small radishes. They soon began to .sprout. Although 

 their growth had been slow— perhaps owing to the dry 

 season— the plants are healthy and strong. I kept 

 several plants in pots ; those kept in the shade-house 

 show a more luxurious growth than the others. I 

 entertain hopes that this plant will become accHm- 

 atised in this colony although it would be premature 

 to hazard a positive opinion as yet. The experience 

 of another season is necessary to determine that point, 

 last season being very unfavorable for all outdoor 

 plants. Of the Kumara (Ipomoea chrysorvhiza, Forst.) 

 I am abje to report favorably. 



The Kumara has recently been introduced into the 

 East Indies. It has produced first-class crops, and is 

 highly spoken of. Dr. Duthie, the Director of the 

 Botanic Gardens at Saharanpur, in his last report, 

 say8,_ " I consider the Kumara to be a very valuable 

 addition to our varieties of vegetables." 



The Tree Tomato C//phnmanJra hetacea, Hook). — I 

 regret to say that this plant has proved itself to be 

 quite unable to resist this climate in the open air. 

 Our summer is altogether too dry, and om- winter 

 too cold. In the stove-house the plant grows vigorously. 



I have sustained another failure in growing the 

 Nielgherry nettle (Gira,dmia Leschemultii, Gaud.), 

 belonging to the natural order of Urticeae. It possesses 

 in a strong degree the stinging properties of the 

 common nettle, and it grows on the higher ranges of 

 the Nielgherry hills. The plant yields a valuable fibre, 

 which the natives obtain by first boiling the plants, 

 in order to destroy its stinging energy. The fibre is 

 of considerable value. It is of great fineness, and 

 is worth, in England, £200 per ton. [R200, much more 

 likely. — Ed.] 



I received the seeds from India. The young plants 

 grew well in the spring, but they failed under the 

 trying hoot weather in the summer. 



Insect Powder Plant.— I am glad to say that at 

 last I have succeeded in introducing those valuable 

 plants Pt/rethrum carmum (Bbrst.) and Pyrethriim 

 roseum (Bbrst). They are natives of the Caucasus, 

 and perennial herbs of the order Composltae. A 

 powder made from the dried flowers has been long 

 in use in Persia and in Russia for the destruction of 

 fleas and other insects. According to "Smith's 

 Dictionary of Plants of Domestic and General Economy," 

 the plant from which the powder was prepared was 

 for a long time kept secret. It was eventually dis- 

 covered by an Armenian merchant, who communicated 

 his discovery to his son, who, in 1828, manufactured 

 the powder for sale. It is estimated that the quantity 

 of this powder consumed m Russia alone is nearly 

 one million pounds a year, and is now in popular use 

 everywhere. I understand that the Agricultural 

 Department of Victoria has lately imported and distri- 

 buted the seed of the Pyrsthrum, in order to promote 

 its cultivation and the production of the well-known 

 powder in Victoria. I raised about a dozen plants 



from imported seeds. They were planted in various 

 localities in the garden, and I am very glad to say 

 that, in despite of the very unfavorable season, they 

 have grown uncommonly well, and have flowered freely, 

 I have not the slightest doubt but that these plants 

 can be easily acchmatised in South Australia. 



Ehopala (Spec). — Mr Thiselton Dyer, the Director 

 of the Botanic Garden at Kew, has favored me with 

 a parcel of the seeds of a remarkable tree, a species 

 of Ehopala, belonging to the natural order of Proteaceae. 

 It is a native of Columbia, and possesses the property 

 of being indestructible by fire. Mr. Dyer remarks upon 

 this tree as follows : — " The Bhopala is a small contorted 

 tree, growing to about twenty feet in height. It is 

 remarkable for being absolutely indestructible by fire, 

 in large districts where the dry pastures and bush are 

 burnt twice a year. Its resistance to fire enables it 

 to exist to the exclusion of all other trees and bushes, 

 as a perfect natural plantation. The periodical burning 

 destroys everything except this tree. The resemblance 

 to a plantation is moreover enhanced by the circum- 

 stance that the trees never form thickets, and they 

 are thickly and almost systematically dispersed over 

 the land. The tree delights in the most sterile soils, 

 but always of a stony or shingly character. Some- 

 times it grows in places so barren that even grass 

 cannot exist. This suggests the idea that it may be 

 turned to account in sterile districts within the tropics." 

 [This tree ought to be tried on the Ceylon patanas.-Eo,] 



Ferns. — The collection of ferns has been enriched 

 by the addition of thirty-six interesting species, which 

 now numbers 407 species. We have added five species 

 to the Lycopodiaceje, bringing the number up to thirty- 

 four. All the Ferns in the Fernhouses and those 

 distributed through the stove and other houses show 

 a most luxuriant growth, the result of careful attention. 



One of the most interesting events which occurred 

 in the garden last year was the flowering of a large 

 specimen of the Yucca filamentosa. The plant is about 

 twenty-five years old. It has reached the height of 

 18ft., the circumference of the stem one foot above 

 ground is 7ft. 4in. The bare stem is 14ft. high, It 

 produced its first upright flower-stalk in 1873. After 

 this had peen cut off, a number of young shoots sprunng 

 up around the crown, which formed a globular head. 

 Last year it flowered again ; and this time, instead 

 of producing upright flower-stalks, it threw out eight 

 I)endulous flower-stalks, each about three feet long, 

 and containing about 300 flowers. The sight was 

 magnificent, so much so, that I append a drawing of 

 the plant in flower to this report. 



The number of new plants of economic value and 

 of those available for ornamental purposes, not 

 including Florist's flowers, amounted to 353 species. 

 The collection ot plants has thus been augmented 

 from 12,160 to 12,513 species. 



I find that it will be necessary to remove a number 

 of the old gum trees which have died or are dying 

 out, and I regret to think that in the course of a 

 few years very few of these will be left in the park. 

 The great difliculty will be to remove these giants 

 without injuring the young trees which have been 

 planted in their neighbourhood. They will have to be 

 taken down piecemeal. 



Retrospect. — In closing this report I have thought 

 that it would be of some interest if I were to give 

 a short retrospect of the progress of the Botanic Garden 

 since the year 1879. It must not be supposed that 

 the value of the garden is confined to the pleasure 

 and amusements it affords to the inhabitants of 

 Adelaide and its suburbs, or to visitors from the 

 country, as well as those from other colonies and 

 foreign parts. It has the high function imposed 

 upon it of spreading a scientific as well as an economic 

 knowledge of the flora of this colony to other parts 

 of the world. By this means an acquaintance with 

 one portion of the resources of the Province is placed 

 within the reach of the scientific world through the 

 agency of institutions sinular to that over which I 

 have the honor to be Director. The continual inter- 

 change of specimens of plants enables the recipient 

 to acclimatise large numbers of trees and shrubs. 

 After experience of their habits, and their adaptabiUty 



