186 HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF TREES. PART 1. 
Diemen’s Land, in addition to the species of eucalyptus, acacia, callistemon, 
and sida, which live as standards through the ordinary winters in the neigh- 
bourhood of London without protection. 
A number of the ligneous trees and shrubs of Europe, and some also from 
other parts of the world, have been taken to New Holland and Van Diemen’s 
Land, by the settlers; and every year packages of plants which stand the 
open air in England, as well as of house plants, are sent out by the nursery= 
men. In the botanic garden at Sydney there was in 1828, a collection, which 
included the fruit trees of every part of the world, as far as they could be 
collected, and also many of the principal European timber trees and. flowering 
shrubs. An account of this collection by the then curator of the garden, Mr. 
Charles Fraser, will be found in the Gardener’s Magazine, vel. v. p. 280. It 
is there stated that the European trees stood the extreme drought of the year 
1827-28 better than those of warmer climates; and, while oranges, limes, 
shaddocks, guavas, &c., were completely burnt up, apples, pears, &c., stood the 
shock without any apparent injury. To give an idea of the “ capabilities of 
the climate,” Mr. Fraser states that, in “ an exposed part of the garden, may 
be seen growing luxuriantly, in a dense thicket formed by themselves, the 
following trees ; viz., the English ash and elm, Erythrina Corallodéndrum in 
full flower, Bombax heptaphyllum, Gymnécladus canadénsis, Ficus elastica, 
Dalbérgia Sissoo, Téctona grandis, Pinus Pinaster and halepénsis, Catdalpa syrin- 
gefolia, the English lime and sycamore,the mossy-cupped and English oak, 
Acacia tamariscina, Salisburia adiantifolia, the tea and olive, and many others.” 
The trees of Van Diemen’s Land appear to be among the most gigantic of 
the whole world. Mr. James Backhouse, an English nurseryman who spent 
some time in Hobart Town and its neighbourhood, and has communicated 
some interesting information on the vegetation of that country to the Gar- 
dener’s Magazine (see vol. xi. p.388.), gives the following measurement of ten 
trees of the Eucalyptus robasta, or the stringy-bark tree. They all stood in 
the neighbourhood of the Emu river, and the circumference of all the trunks 
were taken at 4 ft. from the ground. 
No. 1., 45 ft. in circumference; supposed height 180 ft. The top broken, 
as is the case with most large-trunked trees; the trunk a little injured by 
decay, but not hollow. The tree had an excrescence at the base 12 ft. across 
and 6 ft. high, protruding about 3ft. No. 2., 373 ft. in circumference. No. 
3., 38 ft. in circumference; distant from No. 2. 80 yards. No. 4. 38 ft. in 
circumference; distant from No. 3. 56 yards. Nos. 3 and 4. were round 
trees, upwards of 200 ft. high. No. 5., 28 ft. in circumference. No. 6., 30 ft. 
in circumference. No. 7., 32 ft. in circumference. No. 8., 55 ft. in circum- 
ference ; very little injured by decay; and upwards of 200ft. high. No. 9., 
403 ft. in circumference; sound and tall. No. 10., 48 ft. in circumference; 
tubercled ; tall; some cavities at the base; much of the top gone. A pros- 
trate tree near to No. 1. was 35 ft. in circumference at the base, 22 ft. at 66 ft. 
19ft. at 110 ft. up; there were two large branches at 120 ft.; the general 
head branched off at 150ft. the elevation of the tree, traceable by the 
branches on the ground, 213 ft. 
_ In the First Additional Supplement to the Encyclopedia of Agriculture will be 
found portraits, drawn from nature, of several of the trees mentioned as 
having been measured by Mr. Backhouse, drawn by Mr. John Thompson, a 
friend of ours, and an excellent artist, settled at Sydney. The iron-bark 
tree (Eucal¥ptus resinifera) measured by Mr. Thompson is 200 ft. high, with 
a clean straight trunk of 130 ft. The most remarkable of these trees in ap- 
pearance is the grass tree (Xanthorrhe‘a arboréscens). 
_ Mr. Thomas Backhouse has sown the seeds of several species of the trees 
and shrubs of Mount Wellington and other elevated and exposed situations in 
Van Diemen’s Land, in his nursery at York, and he expresses a hope in a 
few years to prove their hardiness; and, as they are all evergreens, they will 
be valuable auxiliaries to our park scenery. 
