Vol. XXVII J. 

 igii 



] Robinson, In {he Dandenong Ranges 60 Years Ago. 31 



some time before I could make them understand that it was 

 only the longest or tallest trees I wanted to measure ; con- 

 sequently, they would often send me word that a very large 

 tree had been felled, but which, on comparison, with those 

 growing around, was found to be shorter. 



Referring back to my note-book for the measurements made 

 by me at the time on the ground, I find that all those measured 

 were over 300 feet in length. The longest that I met with was 

 342 feet to the commencement of the " die-back " portion of 

 the tree, and as the stem there was from six to seven inches in 

 diameter, I estimated the " die-back " portion to have been 

 from 15 to 25 feet in length, thus giving an approximate length 

 of 360 feet. Mentioning these facts one day to the late Baron 

 von Mueller, he arranged that, if I could find a tree approaching 

 400 feet, he would come and inspect and measure it ; but the 

 opportunity never came. 



About five years later a tree, which had just been felled, was 

 pointed out to me by a splitter as being the longest he had 

 met with. It was situated on the southern slope of a hill near 

 a gully, about three-quarters of a mile north of the present 

 Belgrave railway station. The tree measured 316 feet to the 

 " die-back " portion of the stem. This amounted to 8 feet, 

 and it is quite probable some 8 or' 10 feet were missing owing 

 to decay, which would give a total length of about 333 feet. 

 This ti'ee was one of a clump of about ten growing by them- 

 selves, as was the case with the other trees mentioned. 



The last of the big trees in that district were cut down about 

 1862, and from an examination of them and their surroundings, 

 I do not think they had experienced, at any period of their 

 growth, any check from fires, such as has happened in later 

 years. They were generally found at the foot of a steep hill- 

 side, sheltered from the sun and north wind. Their roots were 

 constantly moist, owing to the mulch of decayed leaves, bark, 

 &c., fully thirty inches thick, constantly decaying and as con- 

 stantly being replenished. The rainfall was about 60 inches 

 per annum, and at that time the splitters said that it rained 

 more or less every day in .the year. From an examination of 

 the number of annular rings of the stumps, it would appear 

 that these trees were quick-growing and comparatively short- 

 lived, few of the stumps indicating more than 300 years. 



White ants early attacked the roots and butts, while the 

 " die-back " of the extreme tops added rotten wood at the 

 other extremity. A gale of wind sweeping down on to the 

 tall trees would snap them off by the roots, often bringing down 

 two or three others in their fall. The buttresses of roots around 

 each tree seemed out of all proportion to the tree. At about 

 two or three feet from the ground they would often measure 



