EUCALYPTUS TREES. 79 
~ eation how spare places on railways might be utilized. 
Our regular and quick communication with California 
is giving now easy opportunity for importing nuts of 
the various American Hickories and Walnut-trees in 
quantity ; while of the ordinary Persian Walnut-tree 
seeds can already be obtained both here and in Tas- 
mania. Resinous Pine-trees may possibly increase 
any danger of conflagrations on railway-lines. Nur- 
series for sowing seeds of hardy utilitarian trees might 
at once be established on all the railway-stations at 
comparatively little cost. 
The only effective public effort hitherto made to 
anticipate the necessities of forest culture consists in 
the planting of public reserves, parks, church-yards, 
school-grounds, cemeteries, and the area of many of 
our public buildings.. The trading horticulturists 
have also largely aided in the importation and raising 
of foreign trees. 
In this effort, as already remarked, I took a promi- 
nent share, or perhaps, in many instances, it origi- 
nated from impulses or supports given by myself. 
Undoubtedly, it was a primary object to cover the 
dismal barrenness of public grounds, to help in miti- 
gating thereby local dryness and heat, to afford shade 
and shelter, and torender many a barren spot a pleas- 
ing retreat. 
But this was not my only object. I had a second, 
and, to my mind, higher one in view. 
I wished that, locally, many nuclei for forest cult- 
ure should be formed ; that, within comparatively few 
years, seeds should almost everywhere become avail- 
able in masses from local tree-plantations ; and that 
thus efforts now made for parks and pleasure-grounds 
