R E P 0 R 1\ 
* Melbourne Botanic Garden, 
10th March, 1862. 
SlE, 
I have the honor of submitting to you my Report on the progress of 
the work iu the Botanic Garden during the last fifteen months, and simulta- 
neously I beg to offer some suggestions as to the work likely to be initiated 
during the current year. 
Referring, in the fii’st place, to the Horticultural Department, I would 
direct attention to the general improvement of the flower-borders by the 
re-arrangement of some of the plants, and by the transfer of many of the 
rarer species from the nurseries to the ornamental shrubberies. I would 
remark that some additional plots of ground have been brouglit under 
cultivation, that alterations have been made in the forcing houses, that addi- 
tional places of shelter have been erected for seedlings apt to be injured by 
hot or changeable weather, and that recently a new apartment has been built, 
chiefly for the growth of plants destined for the conservatories. This 
structure was erected l)y labor and from material available at the gardens. 
The nurseries were considerably extended, principally with a view of accom- 
modating the very many thousand seedlings of pines or other ornamental or 
useful trees raised iu the gardens. Amongst these we find many plants of 
more genei’al interest, and some of importance to our colonial husbandry, of 
which the following may be deserving of special record : — The Lawsonia, a 
hedge plant very generally cultivated in India ; a fair supply of Corkoaks, 
raised from acorns received from the south of France ; other evergreen oaks 
from the Mediterranean ; the Acacia Lebbek, or Siristree, cultivated iu India 
for the sake of its shade, and likely to be hardy in our climate ; the Canadian 
Blackberry ; the Altai and Lebanon Cedar ; the symmetrical Pinus Nord- 
manniana, of which rare species seeds were received from Central Asia 
through the Botanic Garden of Petersburg ; the South European Palm j one 
of the Acacias which yields the Gum Arabic ; several kinds of Rhubarb new 
to the Colony, and available for the cultivation of the root ; the Bilbeny, of 
which both living plants and seeds were received through the attention of 
Dr. W. Sonder, of Hamburg ; a great variety of Pines from both hemi- 
spheres ; several thousand Deodar Cedars, raised froin seeds secuicd by 
J. Binney, Escp, of Sydney, and by the Rev. James Smith, of Ava, now of 
Castleniciinc, bv wliose kindness we will be enabled to establish seedling 
])lants of this truly noble and valuable tree throughout Victoria ; the 
Venetian Tanners Scotino ; some hundreds of the Californian Welliugtoma, 
the most gigantic tree of the globe ; very many thousands of Stonepines, a 
tree which forms sucli a picturesque feature iu the Italian landscape, produces, 
unlike the generality of the fir tribe, a branchless stem, and yields large 
kernels of almond-like taste ; Pittosporum rhombifolium and Pittosporum 
flavum, both highly oi’iiamental trees from Queensland, and well calculated 
to overshade our walks ; the rare and magnificent Abyssinian Musa Ensete, 
acquired by the liberality of C. IMoore, Esq., Director of the Sydney Botanic 
Garden, the thick stem of which tree furnishes a vegetable ; the Musa 
