30 
away. This is partly the reason why these seeds are always expensive. They should, 
therefore, be gatheied before the opening of the fruits. They can be caught on a sheet 
and dried out of draughts or wind or of bright sunshine. 
Red Cedar seed is also very liable to attack by insect pests before it is ripe. I 
have known a number of fairly large trees produce not a single sound seed. The 
scarcity of good seed stands very much in the way of the propagation of this especially 
valuable tree. 
A paper entitled " Seed Collection on a large Scale " (Pine Seeds), in the 
Year Book of Agriculture, U.S.A., for 1912, p. 433, is useful for reference. It is 
illustrated. 
Industry of seed-collecting. Most of the forest seeds collected in this State are 
those of Eucalypts trees difficult to discriminate. But that does not in any way justify 
collectors in supplying mixed seed or seed with misleading names. I feel indignant 
as evidence is furnished to me of the carelessness of the suppliers of indigenous seeds, 
If a man desires to learn the names of his seeds botanists will help him without fee or 
reward, so that ignorance can be no man's excuse in this matter, and a man who 
supplies named seed of whose origin he is ignorant or careless is a delinquent of a 
peculiarly despicable kind ; one whose wickedness can only be found out after the lapse 
of years, when perhaps reasonable hopes have been blasted. I would like to see the 
purveyors of false seed subjected to the penalties of a Draconian law. Human nature 
is much the same everywhere, and our people are no greater delinquents in this respect 
than those of other lands, but I have personal experience in these matters when I say 
that the disastrous effects of the distribution of ill-named or bad seed are comparable 
as regards agriculture, forestry, and horticulture to droughts and pests. Planters of 
all kinds have quite enough discouragements of an unavoidable character without 
being saddled with others absolutely within human control. 
Danger of planting inferior species. Whether plantations are made by the 
Government or by private persons, the importance of planting only useful species cannot 
be overestimated. I have seen plantations in Australia which should now be revenue- 
producing, but the timber has no known use, nnd forms inferior fuel. It is, in fact, 
unsaleable. In re-afforestation operations by means of our indigenous trees it is 
necessary to emphasise this point very distinctly. This brings me to one phase of 
the seed question. The selection of suitable seed is not by any means a matter resting 
solely with the seedsmen. Customers (official bodies and individuals) ask distinctly 
for seed of species which we know to be inferior. The reason of this is, in some cases, 
owing to the fact that, through the confusion of botanical writers in regard to the 
merits of trees of the especially difficult genus Eucalyptus, species have received 
praise which is not really due to them, and planters, observing these favourable 
remarks, have placed their orders accordingly. The lesson to be learnt is that grave 
responsibility attaches to the man who, through imperfect information, praises a tree. 
The tendency to speak in superlatives as to the excellency of our native vegetation 
is growing, and should be restrained, and a man who is deceived by glowing accounts 
of our trees is apt to underrate them when the reaction takes place. 
