126 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



plants, his one desire being to see his land cleared and grass 

 growing for tlie sustenance of his stock. No doubt old age has 

 told its tale on many of the great trees, but the firebrand has 

 proved the more easy and expeditious method for their destruc- 

 tion. 



Another enemy to the giant tree must also be mentioned, by 

 which their destruction is accomplished, though in a slower way. 

 In many of our Victorian forests vast patches of white trees can 

 be seen, giving at a distance the impression that the hill or 

 country in question is covered with snow. Travellers to Marys- 

 ville, when descending the further side of the Blacks' Spur, can see 

 on the eastern slopes of Mount Juliet white patches and stripes 

 near the summits of the ridges. These are vast patches of 

 eucalyptus trees, white as spectres, all dead without having been 

 rung or yet bearing any sign of having been charred by fire. 

 For a time it was conjectured that falls of snow, followed by frost, 

 were responsible for the death of the trees. More recent 

 opinions have ascribed the cause to the depredations of insect 

 larvae, most probably some species of borer beetle. 



So far as I know no official investigation has been made into 

 the question, and what has been stated is merely conjecture. In 

 the South Gippsland mountains great strips of forest are thus 

 made bare, and are discernible as white stripes on the hills. 

 Many years ago I deemed this of sufificient importance to secure 

 negatives for future reference. As far as my observations went, 

 these dead areas ran in long narrow strips having an east and 

 west direction. My opinion is that some cause existed sufficient 

 to destroy the trees long before they arrived at maturity. The 

 natural death of eucalyptus trees can be seen everywhere in our 

 forests. All the great giant trees are far advanced in their natural 

 course of life, all with the tops broken off, and the tumbling 

 branches giving us positive evidence of the decay existing above. 

 Smaller trees by the roadside afford the same evidence. We see 

 their topmost branches wither downwards, clearly showing that 

 the tree has no longer power to force its sap to the highest 

 branches, and death is the natural consequence. 



For years the State has maintained a Forest Department, 

 several Chief Conservators of Forests have held office, nurseries 

 have been established, and after all this great expenditure our 

 efforts at forest conservation have been pronounced a failure by 

 the press. The public has been told officially that we have no 

 giant trees, and the cause of the destruction of thousands of great 

 gum trees in our forests has never been investigated; in fact, the 

 general public is entirely ignorant that such wholesale destruction 

 of our forests is slowly, but surely, taking place. 



In the very early history of Victoria reports were circulated of 

 the existence of large trees in the mountain ranges ; but that 



