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Certain Melbourne suburbs with wide streets and fairly good soil, had regrettable 
experience with wattle-planting. The trees never gave satisfaction, and the local 
councils lost much time, which would have been saved had more permanent trees been 
planted. 
Imported Pines (Pinus) are dying out rapidly in the Sydney district, with the 
exception of the Maritime Pine, for they are very difficult to control, being liable to 
fatal diseases. I reiterate the opinion that in our She-Oaks, which are very free from 
disease, we have a class of trees reminiscent of the Pines, and which are destined to 
replace them in many districts in which the Pines are dying out. Pines give a character 
of their own to the landscape, but the She-Oaks do not replace them in regard to the 
delicious health-giving odours they exhale. Another drawback to Pines for park 
purposes is that they will not, as a general rule, stand cutting. 
And now let me turn to the maligned Moreton Bay Fig (Ficus macrophylla). 
To hear some people talk, all Moreton Bay figs should be banished from the Sydney 
district, but it does not seem to be realised that it is one of the best trees ever introduced 
to Sydney. It will grow amongst rocks, where scarcely anything else will grow ; and 
it will stand b:ing blown upon by fierce winds and being hacked about and otherwise 
ill-used. I admit that it can be put in the wrong place (it must not be planted near 
buildings or pavements), but a Moreton Bay Fig with plenty of room, so that it can 
live its life, is one of the most beautiful of trees, while its foliage and fruit are nutritious 
to stock, and its umbrageous head affords a grateful shade. 
Then the Port Jackson Fig (Ficus rubiginosa) is a most beautiful object. It 
is far less rampant than the preceding, and takes on an umbrella or mushroom shape, 
which is very symmetrical. It is nearly an ideal tree for general shelter purposes and 
picturesqueness, and is hardy in many parts of the State. Amongst deciduous Figs, 
Ficus Cunningliamii and Ficus Henneana are two of the best. 
We divide trees into two grand groups evergreens and deciduous. Dependent 
on locality, there are few trees that are neither quite one nor the other. For example, 
the silky oak in some districts scarcely loses its leaves in winter. 
Evergreen Trees. We will now take some evergreen trees, and it may be 
mentioned that in alphabetical order we have : Alectryon excelsa, the New Zealand 
titoki, a handsome tree suitable for our cold districts. 
The carob (Ceratonia siliqua) is one of those trees which succeed right from the 
coast to the western plains. It does best in calcareous soil. It is a beautiful, 
umbrageous tree, and its pods afford nutritious food for both man and beast. 
The camphor tree (Ciiwamomum camphora) grows best in our coastal districts ; 
jt will not flourish on the mountains or tablelands, but it is worthy of experiment in 
many parts of the State where the soil is not too stiff and the subsoil is moist. It is 
a beautiful, densely foliaged tree, and is interesting in that camphor is prepared from 
the wood, though we cannot compete with Japanese and Chinese labour in this industry 
under existing circumstances. 
