IS 



singles to tlie main stem. The narrow leaves are comparatively 

 veiuless — hence its specific name — and the flowers growing 

 singly are of oblong shape, instead of spherical, like A. pyc- 

 nantlia. Its most remarkable characteristic, however, is the 

 mucilaginous quality of its foliage, a leaf, when chewed, yield- 

 ing a distinct flavour of gum, and without that astringent 

 taste so common in Acacias grown in the moister regions. The 

 presence of mulga in suflicient quantities is of the first impor- 

 tance in runs situated in the more arid portions of Australia as 

 being not only the best stand- b}^, but as furnishing posts for 

 fencing, the timber being very close-grained, hard, and lasting. As 

 to how long the timber (generally of small size) will remain in the 

 ground without decaying it is very difficult even to guess at, for it 

 frequently happens that old forests of it are found standing 

 evidently killed by fire, amidst a growth of young trees, which 

 must have taken many years to grow to their present size, for 

 the mulga is a very slow grower, but if cultivated in a moister 

 climate I think would grow more rapidly, and yield a less 

 scanty foliage. Amongst stockmen it has an evil reputation, as 

 wounds caused by riding through scrubs of it often fester, and 

 are difficult to heal. The most southern limit of it that I am 

 aware of is at Anabama, some 90 miles from the Burra, on what 

 is well known as the Pegline, the surveyed road to the Darling. 

 It hfis been used extensively for smelting at Cobar, and exists 

 around Silverton, and no doubt its close-grained charcoal will 

 be very useful in reducing the silver ores there. 



AYith the view of getting precise and reliable information 

 as to the properties of the scrub in question, a sample of it was 

 forwarded to Mr. "William Johnson, the analytical chemist for 

 the Yictorian|G-overnmeut, who further submitted it to Baron von 

 Mueller, the Victorian Grovernment botanist, and it affords me 

 considerable satisfaction to give you an extract from the report 

 of Mr. Johnson as to the value of mulga : — " Examined 

 chemically, it has been found to contain a large quantity of 

 starch and gum, together with albuminous bodies and other 

 •constituents common to all vegetables. It is destitute of any 

 poisonous properties, and, viewed as an article of food, must 

 be very nutritious to all animals eating it. The mineral con- 

 stituents amount to two per cent., and consist of carbonates 

 •of lime and potash, together with sulphates and chlorides, all 

 very useful in the animal economy." Baron von Mueller's 

 report is purely confirmator}- of the above, and need not be 

 repeated. 



Acacia saliciaa — The Broughton AVillow, as it is called in 

 the ^N'orth, being found mainly on the River Broughton and its 

 tributaries. A very handsome little tree with drooping 



