Nov 



>fov.,"j Hart, Eiicalypts about Cresivick and Chines. 105 



Yellow Box reaches its limits on the flanks of the hills at 

 about the one level, and in the adjacent valleys. It has been 

 said to like good soil, but it occurs at some places where the 

 soil has no appearance of being good. Now, in the ranges, to 

 a great extent, better soil, deeper soil, and soil less liable to 

 become overdry are likely to be identical. It maj^ then, 

 appear to like good soil when it really prefers a deeper or a 

 more retentive soil. It is no doubt a more sun-loving tree 

 than some of those in the ranges, but this does not, of course, 

 prevent some specimens from growing among the denser 

 timber. It occurs on the plain at North Creswick, but it 

 would seem to dislike the plain further north. The best trees 

 seen on the volcanic country were in the open and well-soiled 

 valley of Glendonald Creek, and at the place where it is most 

 numerous on the plains the soil is probably not purely volcanic. 

 In the country beyond Clunes it prefers the valleys and lower 

 flanks of the hills. This might be compared with its occurrence 

 on the Ferntree Gully road, where it occurs on the lower part 

 of Wheeler's Hill, and again on the low rises east of the 

 Dandenong Creek. It is also of interest to notice that on 

 Wheeler's Hill it occurs below the level of E. macrorrhyncha, 

 which is on the higher slope. At Creswick it does not meet 

 E. macrorrhyncha ; this species occurs in a near valley, but 

 largely on higher parts of the slopes than the usual position of 

 Yellow Box. 



The distribution of E. ruhida, Candlebark, in the bedrock 

 country at first sight suggests a preference for the valleys. 

 When, however, it is observed to occur not only some distance 

 up the slopes, but also all over some of the lower and gently- 

 sloping hills, to extend to parts at least of the plains, and even 

 to occur on gravel terraces with Broad-leaved Peppermint, we 

 need a different explanation. 



Then it appears that under the climatic conditions of 

 Creswick E. ruhida will occur where there is a deeper run for 

 its roots, where more soil has accumulated, and the run-off 

 of water is less, and the power of the soil to hold water greater. 

 These conditions are obtained mostly on the lower slopes of 

 the steeper ranges, but more generally over gentle hills ; and 

 on the gravel banks the more penetrable material and the flatter 

 surface, lessening run-off of water, are an advantage. Such 

 banks are usually, but not always, well drained. 



In warmer climates this species is more distinctly a mountain 

 form ; more moisture and cooler root conditions in summer 

 are conditions we would expect it to favour. On the other 

 hand, at an extensive wet flat in the ranges, at the junction 

 of Back Creek and the Adekate Creek, the Candlebark keeps 

 off the wettest ground, leaving it to the Swamp Gum, and where 



