47 



The York gum to use here only the vernacular names of the 

 different trees is pre-eminently the habitat of the best wheat 

 lands. It grows on the eastern slopes of the Darling range, from 

 north of Beejoording, south-east to the Pallinup river. The York 

 gnm is generally about 70 feet or 80 feet in height, is about two feet 

 in diameter of trunk, and is dirk and nigged in appearance ; the 

 wood is very hard, heavy, and tough ; it is reddish in color and 

 much esteemed for wheelwright's work. This tree usually grows 

 in a rich loam, which with sufficient rainfall produces some of the 

 heaviest crops of hay and cereals that are reaped in the colony. 

 The salmon gum is also largely found in the country lying between 

 York and Southern Cross, and the timber, which is hard, heavy and 

 durable, is used upon the goldfields for mining purposes, and for the 

 construction of bridges and culverts. The tree grows from 40 to 70 

 feet in height, with a trunk from 12 inches to 30 inches in diameter. 

 The name, says Mr. Ednie Brown, Conservator of Forests for 

 Western Australia (in his report presented to Parliament last 

 session) refers to the color of the bark, which is of a reddish, burnt 

 appearance, fairly smooth and somewhat persistent. The home of 

 the salmon gnm is a good stiff loamy soil, with a clay sub-soil, which, 

 of course, is just what is wanted for wheat. For a long time the 

 salmon gum country was neglected, for it had a most desolate 

 appearance. It is the peculiarity of this tree that it destroys all 

 herbage near it. But as soon as the trees have been killed by ring- 

 barking, grasses grow luxuriantly. When this was discovered, 

 thousands of acres of land, w r hich had been regarded as useless, 

 were selected for farming purposes. Hence some of the new men 

 have been able to get better land than some of the oldest settlers. 

 When the agricultural commission sat some years ago, evidence 

 was given by a pioneer of the Greenhills area (Mr. Penny) that he 

 had taken a great deal of pains to select land that did not grow sal- 

 mon gums, because that land was no good. On the i6th of October 

 last, the Premier, Sir John Forrest, in moving the second reading of 

 the Greenhills Railway Bill, said he had seen Mr. Penny on the pre- 

 vious day, when that large cultivator had expressed much regret 

 that he was iinding that the places which he had excluded con- 

 tained the best land. Such are the profitable lessons of experience 

 from which the seeker of a fertile location may reap the 

 benefit. The morrell gum is also commonly met with on the eastern 

 agricultural lands, and is indicative of rich country. It reaches a 

 height of 50 feet or 60 feet, and is from 12 inches to 18 inches in 

 the bole, and thrives best on a loamy soil. It is also found in a 

 good, strong, or what \vould be called in an English county, heavy 

 land. The bark is light colored ; the timber dense and strong, 

 and the leaves are especially rich in eucalyptus oil. This is extracted 

 by Mr. Jonah Parker, at Dangin, about 100 miles further east than 

 York, along the course of the line to Southern Cross. The product 

 has been pronounced in English laboratories to be of a very 



