FOR VICTORIAN INDUSTRIAL CULTURE. 



9 



^giceras majus, Gaertner. 



South Asia, Polynesia, North and East Australia. This 

 spurious Mangrove-tree extends far south in New South 

 Wales. It may be employed for staying the off-flow of mud 

 by the tide, and for thus consolidating shores subject to 

 inundation by sea-floods. 



^schynomene aspera, Linne. 



The Solah of tropical Asia. A large perennial erect or 

 floating swamp-plant, probably hardy in the warmer tracts 

 of our colony. Introduced from the Botanic Gardens of 

 Melbourne into the tropical parts of Australia. The pith- 

 hats are made from the young stems of this plant. The Solah 

 is of less importance for cultivation than for naturalisation. 



^sculus Hippocastanum, Linne. 



The Horse-Chestnut tree. Indigenous to Central Asia. One 

 of the most showy of deciduous trees, more particularly 

 when during spring "it has reached the meridian of its 

 glory, and stands forth in all the gorgeousness of leaves and 

 blossoms." Height sixty feet. It will succeed in sandy soil 

 on sheltered spots ; the wood adapted for furniture ; the seeds 

 a food for A^arious domestic anim^alsj the bark a good tanning 

 material. The wood remains free from insects. The tree 

 ascends the Himalayas up to 10,000 feet. A variety occurs 

 with thornless fruits. Three species occur in Japan, and 

 several, but none of great height, in North America and 

 South Asia. 



Agaricus Caesareus, Schafier. 



In the spruce-forests of Middle and South Europe. Trials 

 might be made to naturalise this long-famed and highly deli- 

 cious Mushroom in our forests when spruce-fir plantations are 

 made. It attains a width of nearly one foot, and is of a 

 magnificent orange colour. Numerous other edible Agarics 

 could doubtless be brought into these southern colonies by 

 the mere dissemination of the spores at apt localities. As 

 large or otherwise specially eligible may here be mentioned 

 A. extinctorius (L.), A. melleus (Yahl.), A. deliciosus (L.), 

 A. giganteus (Sowerby), A. Cardarella (Ft.), A. Marzuolus 

 (Fr.), A. eringii (Cand,), A. splendens (Pers.), A. odorus 

 (BuUiard), A. auricula (Cand.), A. oreades (Bolt.), A. escu- 

 lentus (Wulf ), A. mouceron (Tratt.), A. socialis (Cand.), all 

 from Europe, besides numerous other highly valuable species 

 from other parts of the globe. 



Agave Americana, Linn^. 



The gigantic Aloe of Central America. It comes here into 

 flower in about ten years. The pithy stem can be utilised 



