19 
Forest ALLUVIUM LAND. 
Throughout the interior, from the Irwin towards the Eastern 
Goldfields railway line, and far beyond, stretches of country occur 
which are now mostly under tall Salmon Gum trees (E. salmono- 
phloia, F. von Miieller). These stretches of country were formed 
by running water wearing away the old rocks and carry img the finer 
soil down in their course and depositing it on the lower level. They 
show as large clayey and loamy flats, often many miles wide, of land 
of fine agricultural value. 
With the salmon gum is associated the Gimlet wood or fluted 
gum trees (EZ. salubris, F. von Miieller). 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 noxious 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 lately was reputed barren, has since been 
proved to constitute, when cleared, ploughed up, and brough under 
cultivation, corn Jand of great value. 
Wherever on these forest lands a few Morrell gum trees occur 
(E. 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 phosphatie fertilisers. These soils 
would be benefited by green manuring or by feeding sheep on 
turnips in the field, to add to the store of humus. This formation 
rests on marl or 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 im- 
rroves, a good growth of grasses and trefoil spring up, whieh turn 
the drought-stricken-looking forest land into nourishing pastures. 
Sanxpy Sorrs. 
Seattered more or less over the several formations above de- 
seribed, and especially in the intervening lower helt between the 
foot of the ranges and the sea. are patches of soil varying from a 
coloured sandy loam to a pure white vand. That country, which is 
apparently the result of a considerable subsidence of the coastal 
front. supyorts shrubs of different sorts, banksias. she oak (Casu- 
arina), bastard jarrah, and in places, where a clay or a gravelly 
subsoil is met, 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 the limestone coast hills east- 
ward of the Darling Range the tooart (E. gomphocephala, de Can- 
dolle). This land is of limited agricultural value, but in manv 
places the soil assumes a darker colour, varying from orange to 
