12 



lessees to be made subject to certain rules and regulations which 

 would have the effect of ensuring the annual and permanent culti- 

 vation of wattles. The rest would be a matter of detail ; but that 

 the principle of wattle plantations should be adopted is one of 

 the strongest recommendations of the Board. The evidence of 

 witnesses in all the wattle districts sets forth that the soil is every- 

 where full of wattle seed, and that its power to retain vitality in a 

 dormant state for many years, when not under germinating 

 influences, was a remarkable fact. Many witnesses, speaking of 

 their own experience, stated that bush fires had the singular effect 

 of inducing the rapid development of a young forest. Wherever a 

 bush fire had passed over the country, myriads of young wattle 

 trees sprang up; and, in the course of their inspection, the Board 

 were afforded abundant proof of the veracity of this statement. 

 The wattles will also spring up in immense numbers where the 

 surface of the soil has been disturbed ; this being established by the 

 appearance presented by a number of paddocks formerly under 

 cultivation, but allowed to lie fallow for three or four years, being 

 literally covered with wattles of both the species most prized by 

 the tanners. No doubt can exist that the wattles are easy of culti- 

 vation, and remarkably prolific in the matter of seed. On poor 

 lands, whether in the possession of the Crown or private holders, 

 the wattles grow as readily as grass ; in many instances more so. 

 They spring up spontaneously, although the future supply must 

 not be left entirely to voluntary growth ; there must be at least an 

 occasional scattering of the seed over the surface of the land. 

 Cultivation will have the effect of increasing the quantity of bark 

 available for commercial purposes to almost any extent. Under 

 supervision, and with a proper system of pruning and stripping, 

 mature bark may be increased at least fifty per cent,, the consumer 

 being justified in paying a better price than was possible under the 



O t/ JL i/ O 1 JL 



reckless system of stripping carried on during late years. 



The mimosa bark of commerce in this colony is derived from 

 three species of acacia, the first in point of strength being A. 

 pycnantha, more commonly known by the several names of the 

 " broad-leaf," "golden," and "green" wattle. (For the purpose 

 of more clearly defining this species, the Board has characterised it 

 throughout their proceedings as the "broad-leaf.") Next, if not 

 equal in strength, and certainly more common in Victoria, is the 

 A. decurrens, or black wattle. And the third species is the A. 

 dealbata, or silver wattle. The first named possesses a thick, glossy, 

 ovate leaf, the bark being smoother and thinner than either of the 

 others. It is chiefly found growing in the Geelong, Portarlington, 

 and Queenscliff districts, in the neighborhood of Castlemaine and 

 Avoca, in the county of Mornington, and along the sea-coast south- 

 westerly as far as South Australia. Its bark is generally considered 



