By Baron Fred, von 

 Melbourne. 



Select Plants Bligilh for Culture in Victoria. 



Mueller. McCarron, Bird, and Co., 

 In the volume before us, which is only an 'extended catalogue of 

 plants supposed or known to be suital)le for naturalization and culture in 

 the colony of Victoria, Baron Mueller describes in a concise way many 

 plants that are but little known in the Northern Hemisphere, but which, as 

 he says, may prove valuable in the genial climate of Victoria ; and this 

 work will be found very useful to colonists and their friends at home, or 

 in other countries, as a book of ready reference when they wish to find out 

 what is known about any plant cultivated or naturalized in the colony, and 

 also about those which the author considers eligible for introduction to the 

 Australian colonies. Baron Mueller has had much experience of Australian 

 plants, and those best adapted for naturalization in Australia, and 

 his opinion may be safely followed in reference thereto. He has be- 

 stowed much labour in the compilation of this work, and has included 

 every plant in any way worthy of notice as likely to prove useful to the 

 colonists, the aim being to bring together in close array some condensed 

 notes in popular language from more voluminous works on all the principal 

 utilitarian plants hitherto known to prosper in extra-tropic zones. We 

 make the following extract of what the author says about some of the 

 Gum Trees, in which so much interest is now taken in various parts of 

 the world, owing to their wonderful rapidity of growth, usefulness of their 

 timber, and their sanitary influence in malaria-infested districts : — 



^'' Eucalypttis (jlohnlus, la Billardiere, Blue Gum tree of Victoria and 

 Tasmania. — This tree is of extremely rapid growth, and attains a height of 

 400 feet, furnishing a first-class wood ; shipbuilders get keels of this timber 

 120 feet long ; besides this, they use it extensively for planking and many 

 other parts of the ship, and it is considered to be generally superior to 

 American rock elm. A test of strength has been made between some blue 

 gum, English oak, and Indian teak. The blue gum carried 14 lbs. weight 

 more thnn the oak, and 17 lbs. 4 oz. more than the teak upon the square 

 inch. Blue gum wood is also very extensively used by carpenters for all 

 outdoor work, fence rails, railway sleepers — lasting about nine years, — 

 shafts and spoke sof drays, and a variety of other purposes. E. glohuhis 

 is hardier than either orange or lemon trees. 



^^ Eucalyptus sideroxylon. The ordinary Ironbark Tree of Victoria 

 and some parts of South Australia and New South Wales. — It 



