Oct.,] FiART. Eucalypfs about Creswick and Clunes. 85 



1917 J 



30.04 (39 years) , Allendale, 24.26 (14 years) ; Chines, 21.35 

 (37 years) : Talbot, 21.34 (32 years). The rainfalls from 

 December to March inclusive for these places are : — IMelbourne, 

 7.97. Wilson's 8.05, Newlyn 6.85, Allendale 6.05, Clunes 5. 11, 

 Talbot 5.08. 



The temperature records of Clunes and Talbot are just what 

 we might expect from the elevation and inland position. The 

 mean temperatures are about 3 degrees lower than those of 

 Melbourne for the year as a whole, but the mean temperatures 

 of the hottest month are a shade higher and those of the coldest 

 month about 5 or 6 degrees lower than Melbourne. The daily 

 variations are also more severe than at Melbourne — in the 

 summer to a considerable amount, but in winter little. Clunes 

 shows greater changes of temperature than Talbot, which is 

 probably due to its situation in the open plain. 



The considerable difference in rainfall between Clunes and 

 Creswick is in agreement with the difference in situation. 

 Creswick is not only higher, but is on the edge of hilly country 

 exposed to the north-west and west, and even the Main Divide, 

 to the south-west, is little shelter. Clunes is lower, in plain 

 country, and well below the levels of the lowest part of the 

 Divide. Its rainfall is possibly further reduced by the shelter 

 of ]Mount Beckwortli, for it will be noticed that the Clunes 

 rainfall is practically identical with that of Talbot, whereas 

 we would have expected it to be slightly but perceptibly 

 greater. 



The Soil Conditions in the Volcanic Country. — The soil of 

 the volcanic country is very clayey, and in the open plains 

 it is poorly supplied with humus, and that supply only to a 

 shallow depth. On the high levels about Newlyn and Dean 

 there was forest, and the soil conditions were much improved ; 

 but the first condition here also would have been clay soil, poor 

 in humus. 



We may consider first the typical open volcanic country 

 below about 1,500 feet elevation. When thoroughly wet the 

 clayey soil becomes very difficult for water to pass through, 

 and the surface over large areas is nearly flat, with small 

 inequalities, so that the water lies about in winter. The 

 aeration of the soil for a considerable part of the year is very 

 poor, the excessive retention of water preventing proper 

 aeration. In such stiff clays it is possil^le for air to be to some 

 extent excluded even when the soil is comparatively dry. 

 In the smnmer the soil dries, shrinks, and cracks deeply. 

 Owing to the power of clay to hold considerable water from 

 the plant, the available soil water is still further reduced. Light 

 summer showers, if they sink in, have little chance of passing 

 the grass roots ; if the water runs into the cracked hollows 



