68 FOREST CULTURE AND 
without any packing, in the hold of a vessel as ordi- 
nary goods, to secure the safe arrival in Europe,* the 
vitality being fully thus retained for several months, 
particularly if the stem is occasionally moistened, and 
kept free from the attacks of any animals. Through 
my unaided exertions these hardy Fern-trees became, 
like many other of our resources, fully known in 
many countries ; and, while their value became estab- 
lished, a market for them has now been gained. I 
would, however, not countenance the vandalism of 
denuding every one of our Fern-glens of its pride, as, 
even with all care, in half a century the pristine grand- 
eur of the scenery could not be restored; yet, when 
we consider that hundreds of gullies are teeming with 
these magnificent plants, we can well afford to render 
them accessible also to all the conservatories of the 
winterly north, in order that the inhabitants there 
may indulge in admiration of such superb forms of 
vegetable life, even though a Fern-tree group in a 
glass house can convey but a very inadequate idea of 
the wild splendor of our Fern ravines. Not without 
pain I have seen constructed the base of whole tram- 
way lines in some of our forest-gullies, almost exclu- 
sively of Fern-trees, for the conveyance of timber. A 
watchful Forest Board would prevent such sacrifice, 
and would save also the tall Palm-trees of East Gipps 
Land from sharing the fate of those princely trees at 
Illawarra and elsewhere. [Since writing this, our 
Livistonas or Fan-palms have been protected by Gov- 
ernment interdiction ; the law forbids also the indis- 
criminate removal of Red Gum-trees from the banks of 
the Murray River. In Queensland, every bunya- 
* No Fern-tree is indigenous to Europe, 
