5 
of the garden. The areas may, for the sake of ornamentation, be interspersed 
with such trees of deciduous foliage as need a place comparatively secure 
against the blast of our hot winds. 
Appropriate objects of experiments will be the various fibre plants, 
including the hitherto little appreciated Lavatera arhorca, the almost 
unknown Cyperus vaginatus, and -especially the Boehmeria nivea, which 
latter yields the Chinese grass-cloth or Rheea-fihre, and has, since the 
invention of Mr. T. Hill Dickson’s patent process, become of such high 
mercantile value, and is proved to grow here with the utmost luxuriance ; 
further, various kinds of olives, the hardier varieties of cotton, the Chinese 
tea, rice, various fodder herbs, and a number of grasses. Amongst the 
latter the so-called Californian prairie grass (Bromus unioloides of Humboldt) 
has far surpassed in its yield all other kinds hitherto experimented on in 
this garden ; and as a perennial species, of broad blade and of nutritive 
properties, prolific even in dry ground, and capable of enduring the 
influence of our occasionally scorching summer heat, this grass is entitled 
to a general introduction on our pastures. The C^modon Dactylon or 
South European couch-grass, and the densely matted Hemitaphrum glabrum 
or buffalo-grass appear by their rigid foliage to be well adapted for main- 
taining a verdure on those parts of our lawns which are most frequently 
travers^ed by Ausitors. The latter grass was obtained by the favor of 
Charles Moore, Esq., Director of the Botanic Garden of Sydney. 
If half the experimental areas remain unirrigated, the effect of 
application of water to each kind of culture plant experimented upon could 
be ascertained with precision. Many of the plants intended for this 
ground had hitherto a temporary place in the experimental orchard, from 
whence, with the increase of variety of vines and fruit trees, they require 
now to be removed. 
The necessary number of plants of the Moreton Bay fig and ot 
maples is set apart, the former for lining a neAV walk from the Botanical 
^kluseum to the city bridge, the latter tree for forming an additional 
avenue in the northern reserve. 
Some walks, as Avell in the northern as southern reserve, remain to 
be completed ; with the final choice of these the opportunity will arise of 
submitting a perfect plan of the garden for the guidance of visitors. 
It is furtlier deemed advisable to erect a special structure for the 
accommodation of epiphytal orchids, and other plants needing a higher 
deo'ree of humidity and heat than can be applied to the general collections 
of plants in the conservatory. Erom the latter, in the vicinity of ivhich 
the new building is to be placed, the means of heating the new structure 
may be derived with hardly any additional expenditure of fuel. 
It may not be inappropriate to record on this occasion that during 
the last International Exhibition the commercial importance of many ot 
the products and educts of Victorian plants (principally secured by the 
direct or indirect instrumentality of this office) has been fMly recognised. 
It has led, for instance, to extensive orders for the volatile oil ot eucalyptus, 
for the distillation of ivhich a factory on a large scale has recently been 
erected by Joseph Bosisto, Esq., near Western Fort. The gum-resms ot 
eucalyptus and tiie bark of our native sassafras have also since become 
articles of mercantile export. 
It has also lieen ascertained from specimens transmitted by A. Thozet, 
of Rockhamiiton, that the “ bitter-bark” of New South Wales and Queens- 
land, to which recently attention has been drawn as a powerful tonic, is 
yielded by the Alstonia constricta, a tree ivbieh occurs not only in the 
but also in the Brigaloiv scrubs of the ivaimei parts of East 
Australia. A chemical analysis of the l)ark has been furnished by 
Professor Dr. Wittstein, of Munich. Eor similar investigations into the 
properties of many of our vegetable products, and other experiments, it 
No 61. — a. 
