December r, 1888.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
401 
PLANTING REPORTS FROM THE HILL- 
COUNTRY OF CEYLON : 
AUSTRALIAN EUCALYPTS AND ACACIAS — RAILWAY SLEEPERS: 
SOFT VS. HARD WOOD. 
Colombo, Nov. 12th . 
In writing about the eucalypti of Australia 
as suitable for re-afforesting our high altitude jun- 
gles, I might haveaddod that the ,-ed gums (there are 
several, but eminently theoommon E.rostrata), make 
excellont railway sleepers. About the singular and 
numerous family of " gums," there is an immense 
mass of interesting information, couohed occasionally 
in curious idioms in Baron F. von Mueller's ela- 
borate and splendidly illustrated Jiucatyptoymphia. 
Possessing and valuing this work, I wrote to ask if 
there was a similar publication in regard to the 
great fami.y of Australian acacias, In response I 
received the first seven decades of Baron von Muel- 
ler's " Iconography of Australian Species of 
Acacia." The well chosen motto is " Sed caude- 
BITIS ET EXCLTAlilTIS USQUE AD SEMPITERNUM IN IIS, 
QU.E deus creabat. — Prophetia Isuite LXV, 18." 
TBut be ye glad and rejoice forever in that whioh 
I oreate.J After the ample information, popular 
as well as scientific, afforded by the Victorian 
Botanist regarding the eucalypts, the work on acacias 
was to me a great disappointment. The illustrations, 
it is true, are all that could be desired, faithful 
and beautifully executed, but not only are the des- 
criptions purely and technically botanical, but the 
Baron avows that his object was to depict those 
species of native acacias of which no drawings had 
previously appeared anywhere. Hence we look in 
vain for portraitures of the species which have be- 
come familiar to us here in Ceylon, as well as for 
indications of the economical uses or suitability for 
cultivation of the species aotually dealt with. 
Tho following is a specimen of the information 
afforded : — " Acacia continda. Bontham, J''lora 
AuBtraliensis, ii 322 (1861) 1, part of a branch- 
let. 2, Mower head. 3, braots. 4, unexpanded 
(lower. 5, expanding (lower. 6, longitudinal 
sootion of a (lower. 7, front- and back-view 
of a stamen. '8, pollen grains. 9, pistil. 10, 
lower portion of a fruit valve with seeds. 11, 
a seed separated. 12, transverse section of a 
Beod. l.'i and 11, longitudinal sections of seeds. — All 
enlarged, but to variou.4 extent." In some cases there 
are add i tic ml details, such as, " phyllodia. part of a 
phylludiuni ••' and so forth. For botanical identi- 
fication, and I may add for identification by 
intelligent observers who may not call themselves 
botanists, nothing could be more perfect than the 
detailed drawings and the descriptions, but for 
popular accounts of the upeoies we must resort to 
oiler volumes. The grand feature in von Mu lh r'.- 
Uy-ptographia wan the combination of equally 
full botanical and general information, (quality 
of timber, suitability for lirewood or charcoal, 
riounoBR in gum, essential oil, &o„) face to face 
with the portrait platen and the botanical details. 
The ipeoirs of noa< i »* ^ in Australia appear to be 
more nitinorone than ven the eucalypts. In his 
preface von Mueller speaks of at least 300 aoacias 1 
But a couple ol extracts from tho introduction 
will be interesting: — 
I'orough the liberality of tho Victorian Government 
it Itchmii' [>os,iMr, to prepare in tho Pbytol, I),.. 
Mrtmrat of Melbourne Hucoemivoly my era] volumes, 
■ Irative ol some portion of tbo Aunt raliau Flora. 
I iio« in <-«rli«>r >•• if. np| ... i a vries of lithoe:r.iiui 
ii. . Insolation mainly of orders and genera of Victoriau 
I' I in latter yeurs an almost complete iconography 
ol Uiu RucalypU ol Australia became elaborated, and 
tlo- w is folU.wp.l .|iiito recently by au Atlas ol M\ 
porinona pUnt*. In a dniini of cont i rung it. m 
fit 
pictorial issues it was deemed best, to devote the next 
volume to those native species of Acacia, of which 
hitherto no drawings had appoared anywhere. As 
the genus Acacia is by far the largest in the Flora of 
this part of the globe, numbering more than 300 well- 
marked specific forms, hardly one-third of them hitherto 
illustrated anywhere, much difficulty was experienced 
by horticulturists and artisans, here as well as abroad, 
to identify with systematic accuracy any particula r 
kin-is of these plants, either cultivated for ornamental 
purposes or drawn into use for technic objects, so 
that a work like the present one seemed specially 
called for. Moreover it appeared likely, that by offer- 
ing additional means for naming any of the numerous 
Acacias of ours now known, they might become restored 
in European Conservatories, to that favor, which they 
enjoyed so muoh in the earlier part of this century, 
when they were largely reared as the first harbingers 
of the spriug, and were the objects of much admi- 
ration and delight for the profusenef-s of their flowering 
or for the oddity of their fantastic foliage. Since 
then various of the ai bjrescent Acacias of Australia 
have attracted forestral attention very widely also in 
countries with mild climes on account of the celerity 
of their growth, or the technic importance of their 
wood, or the great value of their bark for the tanning 
industry, or the copious yield of mimosa-gum, so that 
this vast genus of plants is now surrounded by a 
multifarious practical interest, alien to it when but 
comparatively few of the species were known and the 
significance of many for technology remained unascer- 
tained. Indeed it may be readily foreseen, that 
through » publication, such as tho present one, various 
branchos of applied workmanship, including that of tho 
seeds-trad' , will become promoted or benefited. 
" A Work of this kind ought to have some bearing on 
our educational efforts likewise, as by its dispersion 
through the Australian dominions, not merely as 
patterns tor drawing or as text for some phytologio 
glossol. but also as easy means for direoting pleasur- 
ably the attei 'ion of residents all over Australia to 
some of the leading features of tho floral world near 
them, and this perhaps far through the next century, 
when our rich-blooming or curious or fragrant Acacias, 
while they have become widely naturalized elsewhere, 
will uolouger extend in their gayness and loveliness 
overall the vast pristine spaces occupied by them now I" 
The materials for the plates, it is stated, have 
been accumulating for forty years. The drawings 
show diversities of forms in leafage and especially 
in the seed pods, comparable to the vagaries of 
the orchid tribe. Some of the leaves are extremely 
long and thin, others out of proportion broad, while 
other; again are merely little angular bits ranged 
along the stalks. In some cases thorny Bpines pre- 
dominate. Tho pods in many cases curl round like 
wheeU, while in others they assume the serpen- 
tine form. One acacia is so like a heath that it 
is popularly kuown as the Australian heath, and 
its botanical name favours the idea. In the seven 
deoades published the number of speoies figured and 
botanically described is no fewer than seventy, ten in 
each dacade, so that, of course, 100 at least 
will bo figurod and described in the completo work. 
By means of the Eucalyptographia, from the de- 
tailed descriptions as well as the plates, a large 
number of the eucalypts growing on Abhotsford estato 
have been identitied, including jar rah (£.'. margU 
mtta), i' ■ rolnuta, stringy bark, &c. We have also 
some acacias, not yet identilied, so truly magni- 
ficent in growth, that we cannot liolp thinking 
that many of the Australian acacias, beside those 
known to us, may be found valuablo for railway 
sleepers as well as for general t : ">bcr and firewood 
purposes, not to speak of tau.,...^ barl. and lino 
gum, in which latter substance the gigantic trees 
we spoak of are rich, tho crystallized exudation 
being of a beautiful ruby tint. 
As to the question of soft and hard wood sleepers 
(or Railway purpose*, the impression prevails that 
the railway Department offlMn prefer the very in- 
