20 



FOREST ALLUVIUM LAND. 



Throughout the interior, from the Irwin towards the 

 Eastern G-oldfields railway line, and far beyond, stretches of country 

 occur which are now mostly under tall salmon gum trees (E. 

 salmonophloia, F. von Mueller). These stretches of country were 

 formed by running water wearing away the old rocks and carrying 

 the finer soil down in their course, and depositing it on the lower 

 level, where it forms extensive rich plains. They show as large 

 clay and loam flats, often many miles wide. 



With the salmon gum is associated the gimlet wood or 

 fluted gum tree (E. salubris, F. von Mueller). Both these 

 Eucalypti yield a large percentage (4 per cent.) of excellent oil on 

 distillation of the leaves, and it would seem that the dropping of 

 the leaves and bark on the surface of the soil has a deadly action 

 on the natural herbage. Soon after the trees are destroyed, either 

 by ring-barking or sapping, the natural grasses grow plentifully, and 

 all this country, which until recently was reputed barren, has since 

 been proved to constitute, when cleared, ploughed up, and brought 

 under cultivation, corn land of great value. 



Wherever on these forest lands a few Morrell gum trees occur 

 (JE. longirostris) , there the soil is richer still, and the ears of corn 

 crops fill well and weigh heavy, as is the case when the land has 

 been liberally dressed with phosphatic fertilisers. These soils would 

 be benefited by green manuring, which would considerably add to 

 their store of humus. This formation rests on marl and limestone. 

 All these trees burn readily, and on this account the cost of clearing 

 is much reduced. As these lands occur in a somewhat arid zone of 

 country, their true value has for a long time been overlooked. By 

 means of water conservation in clay tanks, and after ring-barking, 

 the look of that country soon improves, and luxuriant grasses 

 spring up, which turn the drought stricken looking forest land into 

 nourishing pastures. 



SANDY SOILS. 



Interspersed more or less over the several formations above 

 described, and especially in the intervening lower ground between 

 the foot of the ranges and the sea, are patches of soil varying from 

 a coloured sandy loam to a pure white sand. That country supports 

 shrubs of different sorts of banksias, and in places, where it is not 

 very deep, either white or red gums, with at times blackboys, and 

 also near the coast the Willow Myrtle or Peppermint tree (Agonis 

 flexuosa, de Candolle), and on limestone coast hills eastward of 

 the Darling Range the tooart (E. gomphocephala, de Candolle). 

 Little hope, of course, exists of ever cultivating with profit the 

 patches of pure sand scattered over the country, but in many places 

 the soil assumes a darker colour, varying from orange to dark grey, 

 and wherever limestone or a loamy subsoil underlays the sand at'a 

 small depth there vines and stone-fruit trees grow with great 

 luxuriance. 



