Antarctic Expedition. 
233 
plants extend, and the circumstances under which they succeed 
or fail. In noting points of this nature, facts concerning the 
commoner species will be interesting, because they are so fre¬ 
quently neglected, and because of the evidence as to climate 
which they may be expected to afford. In the absence of this 
kind of knowledge, it is difficult for persons here to judge cor¬ 
rectly respecting the kind of plants it may be desirable to in¬ 
troduce into another country. Should the causes of failure or 
of success in the cultivation of particular plants be apparent, 
they ought to be noted down. As an instance of the import¬ 
ance of this branch of inquiry, the Vine at the Cape of Good 
Hope may be mentioned; the bad quality of Cape wine, with 
the exception of that produced at the farm of Constantia, is 
well known ; can any physical cause be assigned for this cir¬ 
cumstance ? If exotic plants are commonly cultivated with 
apparent success, they should receive particular notice ; Euro¬ 
pean Oaks, for example, are common about Cape Town, where 
they are planted for their shade; the species to which they 
belong, and the effect of that climate upon their growth, and 
the quality of their timber, are points deserving of attention. 
Both at St. Helena and Hobart Town, Tree Ferns will be 
found; those in the former place have the stems destitute of 
external fibres except near the ground, while the Tree Ferns 
of Hobart Town are thickly covered with similar fibres from 
the very summit. The origin of these fibres, and the circum¬ 
stances under which they are produced, are unknown, and 
should, if possible, be determined; indeed, the manner of 
growth of these plants in all other particulars is an interesting 
subject for careful investigation, as are also the circumstances 
under which this tropical form of vegetation is produced upon 
Mount Wellington. In the event of the expedition visiting 
the southern part of New Zealand, it should also be ascertained 
under what conditions the Tree Ferns that exist there extend so 
far beyond the usual geographical limits of such trees, and also 
whether they arc not accompanied by other forms of an equally 
tropical character. 
The northern coast of Van Diemen’s Land being m many 
respects clothed with a different vegetation from the south side, 
it is desirable to notice the peculiarities of each. At, Emu Bay, 
there exists the Gunnia australis, an orchidaceous epiphyte, 
which is far to the southward of the general range ot plants of 
that kind. It will probably be found that this apparent ex¬ 
ception to general rules is dependent upon some local pecu¬ 
liarity of climate. Possibly other species with similar habits 
occur on the same line of coast; they should be sought for, and 
particular attention should be paid to the plants with which the 
orchidaceous epiphytes are associated. 
A principal object of inquiry should be, plants yielding useful 
