EUCALYPTUS TKEES. 115 



cation how spare places on railways might be utilized. 

 Our regular and quick conamunication with California 

 is giving now easy opportunity for importing nuts of 

 the various American Hickories and Walnut-trees in 

 quantity ; while of the ordinary Persian Walnut-tree 

 seeds can already be obtained both here and in Tas- 

 mania. Resinous Pine-trees may possibly increase 

 any danger of conflagrations on railway-lines. Nur- 

 series for sowing seeds of hardy utilitarian trees might 

 at once be established on all the railway-stations at 

 comparatively little cost. 



The only effective public effort hitherto made to 

 anticipate the necessities of forest culture consists in 

 the planting of public reserves, parks, church-yards, 

 school-grounds, cemeteries, and the area of many of 

 our public buildings. The trading horticulturists 

 have also largely aided in the importation and raising 

 of foreign trees. 



In this effort, as already remarked, I took a promi- 

 nent share, or perhaps, in many instances, it origi- 

 nated from impulses or supports given by myself. 



Undotibtedly, it was a primary object to cover the 

 dismal barrenness of public grounds, to help in miti- 

 gating thereby local dryness and heat, to afford shade 

 and shelter, and to render many a barren spot a pleas- 

 ing retreat. 



But this was not my only object. I had a second, 

 and, to my mind, higher one in view. 



I wished that, locally, many nuclei for forest cult- 

 ure should be formed ; that, within comparatively few 

 years, seeds should almost everywhere become avail- 

 able in masses from local tree-plantations ,■ and that 

 thus efforts now made for parks and pleasure-grounds 



