﻿Geology 
  and 
  Natural 
  History. 
  261 
  

  

  the 
  main 
  attractions 
  of 
  the 
  garden 
  to 
  the 
  citizens. 
  The 
  citizens 
  

   with 
  whom 
  I 
  conversed 
  were 
  justly 
  proud 
  of 
  the 
  establishment. 
  

  

  The 
  Victoria 
  regia 
  house 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  

   garden, 
  but 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  plants 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  my 
  visit 
  

   was 
  a 
  disappointment. 
  It 
  seemed 
  as 
  if 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  heating 
  by 
  

   water 
  from 
  an 
  open 
  boiler 
  might 
  be 
  at 
  fault. 
  It 
  was 
  not 
  easy 
  to 
  

   see 
  how 
  the 
  water 
  could 
  contain 
  as 
  much 
  air 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   method 
  of 
  heating 
  by 
  pipes 
  through 
  the 
  tank, 
  and 
  it 
  appeared 
  as 
  

   if 
  this 
  was 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  mischief. 
  

  

  The 
  other 
  houses 
  looked 
  well 
  for 
  the 
  season. 
  The 
  selections 
  in 
  

   them 
  appeared 
  judicious 
  and 
  many 
  individual 
  plants 
  were 
  of 
  

   exceptionally 
  good 
  growth. 
  Considerable 
  prominence 
  was 
  given 
  

   to 
  horticultural, 
  and, 
  one 
  may 
  say, 
  utilitarian 
  aspects 
  of 
  vegeta- 
  

   tion. 
  This 
  doubtless 
  serves 
  to 
  augment 
  the 
  interest 
  felt 
  by 
  the 
  

   general 
  public, 
  from 
  whom 
  directly 
  or 
  indirectly 
  all 
  the 
  funds 
  

   come. 
  

  

  A 
  Museum 
  for 
  economic 
  botany, 
  well-arranged, 
  and 
  full 
  of 
  

   good 
  illustrations 
  of 
  the 
  subject, 
  occupies 
  a 
  conspicuous 
  place 
  in 
  

   the 
  grounds. 
  Its 
  most 
  attractive 
  department 
  is 
  a 
  collection 
  of 
  

   the 
  leguminous 
  plants 
  which 
  have 
  proved 
  pernicious 
  to 
  stock. 
  

   The 
  carpological 
  series 
  is 
  good, 
  and 
  the 
  products 
  of 
  the 
  useful 
  

   plants 
  are 
  well 
  displayed. 
  In 
  a 
  separate 
  apartment 
  was 
  seen 
  the 
  

   herbarium 
  of 
  the 
  director, 
  Dr. 
  R. 
  Schomburgh, 
  who 
  was 
  even 
  

   then 
  prostrated 
  by 
  illness 
  which 
  has 
  since 
  terminated 
  fatally. 
  

  

  Although 
  confined 
  to 
  his 
  room 
  and 
  a 
  great 
  sufferer, 
  the 
  ven- 
  

   erable 
  Director 
  received 
  me 
  on 
  two 
  occasions 
  and 
  conversed 
  

   freely 
  about 
  his 
  plans, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  looked 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  

   increasing 
  the 
  local 
  interest 
  in 
  Botany 
  and 
  Horticulture. 
  

  

  Very 
  profitable 
  botanical 
  excursions 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  from 
  Ade- 
  

   laide. 
  The 
  hand-book 
  for 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  is 
  a 
  recent 
  Flora 
  by 
  

   Professor 
  Tate 
  of 
  the 
  University. 
  It 
  is 
  handy 
  and 
  accurate. 
  

   Visitors 
  who 
  may 
  have 
  time 
  for 
  botanical 
  studies 
  in 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  

   Australasian 
  colonies 
  should 
  be 
  reminded 
  that 
  in 
  almost 
  every 
  

   large 
  city 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  found 
  a 
  botanist 
  or 
  two 
  well 
  acquainted 
  

   with 
  the 
  most 
  desirable 
  localities 
  for 
  herborizing. 
  Judging 
  from 
  

   my 
  own 
  experience 
  in 
  obtaining 
  their 
  advice, 
  these 
  local 
  botanists 
  

   are 
  not 
  easily 
  wearied 
  in 
  well-doing. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  local 
  collec- 
  

   tions 
  are 
  enriched 
  by 
  notes 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  spot, 
  and 
  possess 
  great 
  

   interest. 
  

  

  Melbourne. 
  — 
  It 
  was 
  my 
  good 
  fortune 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  journey 
  

   from 
  Adelaide 
  through 
  Ballaarat 
  to 
  Melbourne 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  

   Mr. 
  Samuel 
  Dixon, 
  of 
  South 
  Australia, 
  who 
  has 
  acquired 
  an 
  ex- 
  

   cellent 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  flora, 
  and 
  has 
  occupied 
  himself 
  with 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  interesting 
  industrial 
  questions 
  connected 
  with 
  

   the 
  forage 
  plants 
  of 
  the 
  Colonies. 
  The 
  first 
  and 
  last 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  

   railway 
  journey 
  of 
  about 
  500 
  miles 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon 
  

   and 
  early 
  morning, 
  and 
  gave 
  a 
  glimpse 
  of 
  high 
  lands 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  

   dreary 
  desert 
  scrub, 
  with 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  a 
  view 
  of 
  good 
  soil 
  and 
  

   rich 
  growth. 
  

  

  