FODDER TREES 81 



three inches in circumference, and of considerable economic 

 value. The succulent outer part is edible, and makes an 

 excellent conserve and jelly, somewhat of the same flavour as 

 guava. It can also be used for tarts and pies. When the 

 stones have been extracted, the dried remainder may be kept 

 and used at convenience like other dried fruits. The hard, 

 curiously pitted stones are used for necklaces, bracelets, and 

 other ornaments. The edible kernels have a pleasant 

 flavour and contain a large percentage of oil, which when 

 burned gives a good light. There is a variety of the Quandong 

 with yellow fruit which I discovered in the interior, but it 

 is a very rare tree. The fruit is larger, and the edible outer 

 covering thicker than that of the red kind, and therefore, 

 of greater economic value. The Quandong is easily raised from 

 matured fresh seed. 



Wilga (Geijera parviflora) is found in all the Australian 

 States from the coast to the far interior, but is much more 

 abundant in the latter than the former. It may often be 

 seen growing as a tall shrub, but it finally attains a height of 

 about thirty feet. It has slender, often pendulous, branchlets 

 clothed with narrow leaves from three to six inches long, and 

 a well-grown specimen has a highly ornamental appearance, 

 and somewhat resembles the "Weeping Willow," hence one 

 of its popular names. Stockmen also call this species ' ' Sheep 

 Bush. ' ' Many admirers of Australian vegetation regard the 

 Wilga as the most graceful tree in the arid interior. Its 

 drought-enduring qualities are remarkable, as it will continue 

 to grow under the most adverse climatic conditions. It is 

 fairly plentiful in some situations, although it has been much 

 cut down for feeding to stock, particularly sheep, which eat 

 the leaves readily and seem to do well on them. As regards 

 the feeding value of the Wilga, experienced stockowners hold 

 dissimilar views, and some say its economic importance 



