580 FOREST CULTURE AND 
But is it necessary to dwell on all this so long, when 
the bearings of botanic gardens on industrial pursuits 
are mainly to engage our attention for this hour? It 
is, because a great multitude of foreign plants, never 
yet introduced, or not yet generally recognized as val- 
uable, might be made subservient to horticultural and 
other industries. A rich assemblage of rare plants 
becomes a great treasure in our climate, simply by 
the yield of seeds; or by affording the means for 
multiplication by cuttings or otherwise, the yield to 
become thus readily available for horticultural trade 
here and abroad ; while many of the handsome shrubs 
of our garden-grounds do not produce seeds in the 
conservatories of colder lands. JI fancy that asquare 
mile or two of heath-ground, well selected, and with- 
in easy access of railroads, could, in a climate like ours, 
be converted intoa place of the utmost attraction and 
instructiveness, by bringing together and naturalizing 
on such a spot all the gems of the heath vegetation 
which South Africa, our own continent, or the moor- 
lands of the Andes, the Himalayas, and other coun- 
tries produce. But not only could such a spot be dec- 
orated with the utmost profusion of gaiety and love- 
liness, * but it might, as pointed out, become also a 
source of great pecuniary gain, merely by the annual 
gathering of seeds from such a mass of rarities. In- 
struction from a botanic garden assuredly paves the 
way for purposes like these. 
Would it not be of great importance to our arkaite 
to see the 130 species of Eucalyptus, as the principal 
timber-trees of this continent, all represented in a 
* For instance, above 100 species of Sundews could be brought together 
there. 
