104 FOREST CULTtTBE AND 



without any packing, in the hold of a vessel as ordi. 

 nary goo^!, to secure the safe arrival in Europe,* the 

 vitality being fuUy thus retained for several months, 

 particularly if the stem is occasionally moistened, and 

 kept free from the attacks of any animals. Through 

 my unaided exertions these hardy Fern- trees becaihe, 

 like many other of our resources, fully known in 

 many countries ; and, whUe their value became estab- 

 lished, a market for them has now been gained. I 

 would, however, not countenance the vandalism of 

 denuding every one of our Pern.glens of its pride, as, 

 even with all care, in half a century the pristine grand- 

 eur of the scenery could not be restored ; yet, when 

 we consider that hundreds of gullies are teeming with 

 these magnificent plants, we can well afibrd to render 

 them accessible also to all the conservatories of the 

 winterly north, in order that the inhabitants there 

 may indulge in admiration of such superb forms of 

 vegetable life, even though a Fem-tree group in a 

 glass house can convey but a very inadequate idea of 

 the wild splendor of our Fern ravines. Not without 

 pain I have seen constructed the base of whole tram- 

 way lines in some of our forest-gullies, almost exclu- 

 sively of Fern-trees, for the conveyance of timber. A 

 watchful Forest Board would prevent such sacrifice, 

 and would save also the tall Palm-trees of East Gipps 

 Land from sharing the fate of those princely trees at 

 Illawarra and elsewhere. [Since writing this, our 

 Livistonas or Fan.palms have been protected by Gov- 

 ernment interdiction ; the law forbids also the indis- 

 criminate removal of Red Gum-trees from the banks of 

 the Murray River. In Queensland, every bunya- 



' * No FeiQ-tree ii Indigenona to Europe. 



