1923] WILSON, NORTHERN TREES IN SOUTHERN LANDS 81 



trees of the Red Oak. The Spanish and north African Q. Mirbeckii 

 Durieu, which often goes by the mysterious name of "Q. Hodginsonii," 

 and the related Q. lusitanica Lam. do quite well round Adelaide, Melbourne 

 and even Sydney and on the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand. The 

 Oaks of Japan and China do not flourish and even the widely distributed 

 Q. variabilis Bl. and Q. serrata Thunb. are stunted and worthless. The 

 evergreen Oaks do better in the southern hemisphere than the deciduous 

 leaved species. Such species as the Holm Oak (Q. Ilex L.) the American 

 Live Oak (Q. virginiana Mill.) and the Himalayan Q. incana Roxb. do 

 really well and could be used for shade and avenue trees to advantage in 

 many places. Just outside Cape Town I saw very large trees of the 

 Cork Oak (Q. suber L.) and this species seems perfectly happy there. 

 At Hobart and other places in southeastern Australia I saw nice specimens 

 of the Cork Oak but all mere pygmies compared with the giants at the 

 Cape. For ornamental purposes I should think that Q. lobata N£e, Q. 

 agrifolia Nee and other species indigenous in California and also those of 

 Mexico would be worth a trial in South Africa and southeastern Australia. 



The handsomest and most flourishing northern tree in southeastern 

 Australia is Salix babylonica L. The finest specimens in all the world of 

 this tree are surely there and thousands of them. Anywhere alongside of 

 water from Adelaide east to the Pacific and north to beyond Sydney it is 

 a thing of beauty. On the upper reaches of the Murrumbidgee, round 

 Tumut, I saw many notable specimens. Not only is this tree beautiful 

 but it is also very useful, affording welcome shade to man and beast and 

 in times of drought its leafy branches are greedily eaten by stock of all 

 kinds. In Tasmania, notably at New Norfolk on the banks of the river 

 Derwent, this Willow is perfectly at home. In New Zealand it is not so 

 great a success and is much less plentiful, one reason being that the climate 

 of most of the South Island is really too cold. In South Africa the Weeping 

 Willow does almost as well as in southeastern Australia though it has not 

 been planted in such quantities. Popular belief in Australia has it that 

 all the older trees came as cuttings from Napoleon's Willow at St. Helena. 

 This island was formerly an important port of call on the voyage from and 

 to Europe and so the lovely Babylon Willows of Australasia may be 

 descended from those earlier introduced into St. Helena. 



In the South Island of New Zealand the White Willow (Salix alba L.) 

 and the Crack Willow (S.fragilis L.) are of immense importance in keeping 

 the rivers within bounds. For this purpose they have been planted in 

 vast quantities along (he river margins and are as much at home as if 

 native of the country. The common Hawthorns of Europe (Crataegus 

 Oxyacantha L. and C. monogyna Jacq.) are the hedge plants of this same part 

 of New Zealand. Many hundreds of miles of hedges are made solely of 

 these Thorns. Nothing could serve the purpose better or be more amend- 

 able but as the host of Fire-blight they have become a menace in the 

 Apple growing regions. To the sheep and cattle farmers these thorn 



