190 



were either quite dead on arrival, or there was so little 

 vitality left in tliem that they soon perished. These failures 

 having been mentioned to Mr. Tuck, a gentleman from South 

 Africa, who haj^pened to be on a visit to Tasmania last 

 year, and who had brought with him some plants of Disa for 

 Victoria, he promised on his return to the Cape to j)i^ocure 

 some tubers of the plant and forward to me. In due time I 

 received a small tin box containing sods thickly studded with 

 Disa tubers, which were forwarded by Professor M'Owen, 

 Director of the Botanic Gardens, Cape Town. These tubers 

 have grown freely, and there can now be no longer any 

 doubt of the Disa having been successfully introduced. 



The new varieties of fruit introduced during the year have 

 not been so numerous as during previous ones. As a matter 

 of fact the collection of fruit at the Gardens (about 600 

 varieties) is cramped and starved to such an extent as to defy 

 any attempt at successful cultivation, and the addition of 

 more varieties but complicates the evil. 



It is very desirable that a standard collection of fruit 

 should exist in the colony, if only for the purpose of securing 

 correct nomenclature, which is in itself a matter of some 

 importance. The maintaining of such a collection should 

 engage the attention of a Horticultural Society, rather than 

 that of the Royal Society, and did one exist in Tasmania it 

 would be advisable to hand the collection over to it. In the 

 absence of such a Society it becomes a necessity that the 

 present collection at the Gardens be maintained for some 

 time longc^r. 



The mere acquisition of varieties is a matter of secondary 

 importance to that of practically exemplifying the various 

 modes of training and good culture in such a manner as to 

 afford instruction to all desirous of acquiring it. This is 

 indeed the legitimate work of a Horticultural Society, but 

 can only be satisfactorily carried out where a sufficiency of 

 suitable labour is available for the purpose. 



As a result of the want of labour at the Gardens, this 

 department has in the past been almost entirely neglected. 

 In its present state it is practically useless, and must, I fear, 

 remain so, unless the Society have placed at its disposal 

 largely increased funds. 



In the foregoing notes I have only alluded to some of the 

 more meritorious plants ; others of more or less interest 

 might have been included in them, but sufficient has probably 

 been said to show that the past year's introduction are not 

 altogether devoid of merit. 



