45 



through the cool season without any cover. The lowest tem- 

 perature at Harmony Valley, Blackwood Gully, in the Dande- 

 nong Kanges, observed during 1866 by Mr. Jabez Richardson, 

 who on my request kindly undertook the thermometer read- 

 ings there during that year, was still one degree above the 

 freezing point, while the temperature at the Melbourne Obser- 

 vatory sunk to 28 degrees F. Let me note, however, that 

 simultaneously frost occurred in the open flats of Dandenong; 

 hence the great importance of forest shelter in cases like this. 

 East Gipps Land, with its mild temperature, is likely to prove 

 the aptest part of the Victorian colony for Peru-bark cultiva- 

 tion. Who does not remember the deep grief into which a 

 small insular colony sunk within the last few years, when its 

 population became actually decimated by fever, and when, 

 after 150 years of existence of that unhappy colony, only just 

 the first cinchonas had been planted. 



In some of the uplands of New South Wales, where it was 

 desirable to clear away bush vegetation such, for instance, in 

 which Daviesias or native hop, predominated angoras proved 

 very effectual for the purpose. Doubtless there are many 

 forest tracts, where this measure could be adopted with advan- 

 tage to gain grass pasture, without any injury being done to 

 large native trees; but the smaller trees are likely to suffer, 

 while the underwood might in many instances be better 

 utilised for potash or oil. At all events, goats are among 

 pastoral animals the most destructive to vegetation, and much 

 of the forests on the Alps of Switzerland and Tyrol were 

 destroyed by the indiscriminate access given to goats. The 

 angora, with its precious fleece, can therefore be only located 

 in some forest regions; it thrives, moreover, in the desert. 



T might allude on this occasion also to the great productive 

 ness of bees in our forests, the flowers of so many of our 

 native plants, and among them those of the eucalypts, being 

 mellaginous, blossoms of some kind or the other being avail- 

 able all the year round. Cuba, with an area less than half 

 that of Victoria, exported in the year 1849 so large a quantity 

 of honey as 2,800,000 Ibs., and about 1,000,000 Ibs. of wax. 

 I believe the export has since increased. A forest inhabitant 

 might devote a plot of ground near his dwelling to the earth- 

 nut or pea-nut, an originally Brazilian plant, of which latterly 

 about 900,000 bushels were produced annually in the United 

 States for the sake of its excellent table oil. In Harper's 

 Magazine of 1870 it is staged, that of the earthnut in 1869 



