34 H. G. SMITH. 
ratio as in that of the wood, but the total quantity is nearly 
60 timesasmuch. The manganese is also in larger amount 
in the ash of the leaves. The two specimens of E. pilularis 
from Marrickville were both in good condition and perfectly 
sound. No. 1 was growing at the foot of the sandstone 
cliffs, the other (No. 2) on the top of the hill beyond Cook’s 
River. The manganese might thus be more readily avail- 
able to No. 1, owing to its position of growth, than to the 
other. The results suggest that this is so, because the 
manganese is consistent in this direction with all parts of 
the trees. The top of the sandstone hills around Sydney 
could hardly be more unpromising for the presence of man- 
ganese, yet, the Kucalypts manage to find and use it. 
The results here tabulated are too uniform in character 
to permit the assumption that the minute quantities of 
manganese are not essential to successful growth. The 
closely agreeing percentages of manganese in the ashes of 
all the timbers of E. pilularis tested, are of such a nature 
that the idea of accidental inclusion can hardly be admitted. 
The uniformity which is shown to exist between the ash 
contents of the leaves and buds, as well as in that of the 
timbers of E. pilularis, and other species, indicate that 
these amounts can hardly be accidental, and the whole 
arrangement may be looked upon as nature’s method for 
making the most of the available mineral food supplies. 
The leaves would naturally fall to the ground in time, so 
that the mineral substances they contain would be again 
available for use, but if the same percentage amount had 
been stored in the woody portions of trees, which might, 
perhaps, live on for thousands of years, too large an amount 
of the limited supply would have been withdrawn, and this 
would naturally lead to exhaustion. It may, therefore, be 
considered that the small amount of ash in the timber of 
those groups associated with E. pilularis is the least 
