BY DR KAREL DOMIN. 73 



-Queensland are not a natural association, but a secondary 

 one, changed through the influence of their aboriginal 

 inhabitants, mostly by means of bushfires. It seems rather 

 strange to regard such immense areas in a virgin country 

 covered with open forest as a secondary association, but 

 I hope to bring in another place sufficient proof for it, and 

 I will try to give a reconstruction of their original form, 

 which differs substantially from their present character. 



Last, but not least, I will make a few remarks regarding 

 the agricultural prospects for the future, which are closely 

 •connected with the botany of the State. Everybody 

 who is familiar with the different plant associations of a 

 country must know thoroughly all the conditions of soil, 

 ■climate, etc., for the distribution of plants in special 

 associations shows it in a most striking manner. There- 

 fore, it is not useless to go deeper into all these questions 

 and to try to understand, the conditions of the plant-life 

 ■as much as possible. I think everybody who took a keen 

 interest in the connection between the plant-life and its 

 surrounding circumstances, could easily recognize from 

 iihe character of the vegetation the nature of the country. 



No doubt, in Queensland is opened a field for tropical 

 agriculture as well as for cultivation of subtropical plants, 

 and some from temperate regions. It is, of course, necessary 

 to choose the right plant. 



I think, there would be a possibility of cultivating a 

 great variety of tropical plants in North Queensland, but 

 just these, which would be of special value, are not fitted 

 for it, as the rates for white labour are so high, that it would 

 not pay to cultivate such plants as coffee, tea, rubber, etc., 

 which must be looked after the whole year round. Sugar- 

 cane will surely remain the most important plant for the 

 future. In smaller quantities it would be, of course, 

 possible to cultivate plenty of tropical plants, but that 

 is not of great importance for the rich coastal scrub 

 districts. Only a few of the true tropical plants do not 

 grow here well, and these are plants which must have rain 

 the whole year round. That is the case with the pale 

 rubber {Hevia Brasiliensis), with the true mangosteen 

 (Garcinia Mangostana), etc. 



It seems to me much more important to cultivate 

 a greater variety of plants in the central drier districts. 



