Preface. vii 



strictly equatorial and sub-equatorial lowland-plants, the isothermal 

 lines not rarely receding much from those of geographic latitude, as 

 for instance here in Eastern Australia. In viewing some of the 

 recommendations, contained in these pages, the prospect of remunera- 

 tiveness may seem scant ; yet it should not be forgotten, that vast 

 saving of labour is affected nowadays through machinery becoming 

 more and more ingeniously perfected quite as much for rural pur- 

 poses, as for application to the printing process, to paper-making, 

 sugar-production, sewing and many other kinds of work in technology 

 or even domesticity. Thus assuredly we are not to continue for ever 

 all the tedious manual operations in tea-manufacture, perfume-isola- 

 tion and other industrial operations ; indeed, the changes for ex- 

 pediting technic processes and for saving raw material have been 

 great already, more particularly so within the last few decades. Verna- 

 culars have been but sparingly used, being so often of duplicity or 

 even multiplicity in their application, and so frequently also mislead- 

 ing ; for instance the word "Cow-Berry," though intended for a literal 

 translation of Vaccinium, is so utterly devoid of any meaning, that 

 Wittstein argued, it should be altered into Baccinium. Really we 

 should strive to simplify nomenclature, and should reduce popular 

 names to such solitary and logic expressions, as most readily can be 

 understood in each instance. Thus it is as easy, to bear in memory 

 the word Casuarina as the very objectionable appellations Sheoak 

 and Heoak. So much Botany might or should be taught henceforth 

 at any evening elementary school, that the latin or greek names of 

 the principal utilitarian plants of the world become universally under- 

 stood. But whoever likes to render himself fully acquainted with 

 English or any other provincialisms of plants, can readily refer to W. 

 Ulrich's and to W. Miller's special dictionaries, both of comparatively 

 recent date. The fact, that this work through successive editions and 

 extensive issues came into use over a large portion of the world, whether 

 for educational or rural or journalistic or touristic wants, has been most 

 gratifying to the writer ; but this brightness is dimmed by the cir- 

 cumstance that the book has not unfrequently been used even in public 

 departments with perhaps unintentional evasion of all literary or any 

 other acknowledgment. Nor did hardly ever words of appreciation 

 reach the author from wherever rural successes were gained from even 

 practical exertions of his own. 



