July 11, 1891. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
715 
bloom. Messrs. Reid & BornemanD, Trewsbury Road, 
Lower Sydenham, bad a group of tuberous Begonias, 
cut Roses, and Gardenias. Mr. C. Turner showed 
laced Pinks. Herbaceous cut flowers were exhibited 
by Mr. E. F. Such. 
-- 
THE FORESTS OF TASMANIA. 
Tasmania is peculiarly a forest country, and it is 
stated in the Tasmanian Official Record, a publication 
recently issued by the Government Statistician and 
Registrar-General of Tasmania, that trees of great 
dimensions tower over and eclipse all the lesser under¬ 
growths on plains, valleys, hills, and mountain slopes. 
Of the 16,778,000 acres comprising the total area, there 
are only 75,000 acres occupied by lakes, and 488,354 
acres of cultivated land only partially cleared of its 
timber. With the exception of minor areas on the tops 
of mountains or among the barren uplands of the 
western highlands, the whole of the rest of the country 
is occupied with an almost continuous virgin forest, 
mainly composed of the various forms of Eucalypti 
(Gum trees), one noted example of which, the Iolosa 
Blue Gum, has been recorded as measuring 330 ft. high 
Many of these trees have stems measuring 150 ft. high, 
without a branch, with a girth about 40 ft. towards the 
base ; and it is also recorded that a Blue Gum 
(Eucalyptus globulus) at Southport, the prevailing tree 
towards the south of the island, contained as much 
timber as would fully suffice to build a ninety ton 
schooner. 
With such a wealth of forest trees, Tasmania’s 
sources of timber supply must be infinitely great, and 
in the near future must be of great industrial value ; but 
the difficulties of transit, the ignorance of their economic 
value in distant markets, the plethora of local supply, 
and the necessity for clearing the land in the most 
convenient way, all tend, it is said, to produce waste 
and improvidence in respect of timber products, which 
might soon become a great source of national wealth. 
The necessity for the better conservation of the natural 
forests in Tasmania has lately commanded the attention 
of the local government, and a department has been 
created for the purpose of establishing conserved areas, 
and for regulating all matters connected with the 
cutting of timber on Crown land. The following is a 
description of the more important timbers as regards 
their industrial value. The Blue Gum has its home 
principally in the southern parts of Tasmania, where it 
attains great dimensions. Many of these trees exceed 
a height of 280 ft., with a girth of from 40 ft. to 50 ft. 
A tree called Lady Franklin’s Tree, near Hobart, is 
stated to have a circumference of 107 ft. at a height 
of 4 ft. from the ground. The timber of the Blue Gum 
is of rather a pale colour hard, heavy, strong, and 
durable. In transverse strain its strength is about equal 
to English Oak. It is used in house and ship-building, 
and also by carriage builders and manufacturers of 
tools. 
The Peppermint tree has a wide range, as it is 
found in the southern and eastern humid districts of 
Victoria and New South Wales, as well as in Tasmania. 
It varies greatly with altitude, climate, and soil, and 
is found at all heights up to 4,000 ft. elevation. In 
the poorer lands the trees, though tall, are not remark¬ 
ably so, but in the deep wooded gullies and the moist 
ravines of the mountainsjit] attains such remarkable 
dimensions that it has obtained the distinction of the 
“giant Eucalypt ” of Australia. The timber of this 
tree is useful for many kinds of carpenters’ work ; in 
drying it does not split. It is also used in ship-building 
for keelsons and planking. Besides its timber this 
tree is famous for other products of value. The ashes 
of the foliage yield, it is stated, 10 per cent, pearlash, 
and from 1,000 lbs. of fresh leaves, with their small 
stalks and branches, the yield of Eucalyptus oil by far 
surpasses all that of other congeners, amounting to as 
much as 500 ozs. per 1,000 lbs. The Stringy Bark Gum 
is a valuable tree, found in abundance in Victoria, 
South Australia, and Tasmania. It is straight-stemmed 
and of rapid growth, attaining a maximum height of 
300 ft. The wood of this tree supplies a large portion 
of the ordinary sawn hard timber for rough building 
purposes. It is also well adapted for carriage, cart, 
and waggon-building, wheelwork, and agricultural 
machinery, as well as for the framing of railway car¬ 
riages and trucks. 
The White Gum, or Manna tree, is abundantly dis¬ 
tributed throughout the island, and has also a wide 
distribution on the mainland of Australia. Its timber 
is used for shingles, rails, and for rough building 
materials. The small branching trees on the open 
ridges and plains are noted for exuding a sugary sub¬ 
stance called “manna,” which is esteemed a great 
luxury, and eagerly sought for by the young. The 
Gum-topped Stringy Bark is held in high esteem in 
Tasmania, and the chief peculiarity of this tree is, that 
while the lower part of the butt is clothed with a thick 
fibrous bark, closely resembling that of the Common 
Stringy Bark, the upper part and the smaller limbs and 
branches are quite smooth. The timber from this tree 
is highly prized, and it is described by many competent 
authorities as second only to the Blue Gum. The Iron 
Bark is a valuable tree, attaining a height of 150 ft. 
The trunk is sawn into good timber, and it is also used 
for posts and rails. The Red Gum, Cider Gum and 
Weeping Gum trees are also of some importance. One 
of the most handsome of the native trees is the Black¬ 
wood, which is widely distributed along the slopes of 
the north-west coast. It attains a height of from CO ft. 
to 130 feet. The timber is of a brownish colour, 
closely striped with streaks of various shades of a 
reddish brown. The more ornamental logs of this wood 
are exceedingly beautiful, and fetch a high price. 
The Myrtle or Beech is common in Tasmania, and 
forms a large proportion of the forests. The Huon 
Pine is said to be the grandest and most useful of all 
the soft woods. It is abundant along the rivers of the 
south-western parts of the island, attaining a height of 
from 60 ft. to 120 ft., with a diameter from 3 ft. to 
8 ft. Its timber is almost indestructible in any situa¬ 
tion. It is largely employed, locally, for all kinds of 
furniture and ornamental work, and is the most highly- 
esteemed of all kinds of wood for the lighter sea craft. 
Among the other trees of Tasmania may be mentioned 
the Red Pine, Oyster Bay Pine, Silver Wattle, Black 
Wattle, Native Cherry, &c. The value of Tasmanian 
bark and timber exported during the last five years 
amounted to £627,361, or an average of about 
£125,472 a year. This represents nearly one-eleventh 
of the total exports. 
--- 
FOREIGN AND COLONIAL. 
Boston Common, Massachusetts. 
The citizens of Boston are proud of their Common and 
public gardens, and have good reason to be so, for even 
thus early in the season, when bedding operations are 
yet unfinished, a stroll through them is delightful, 
both to the casual onlooker and to the experienced 
florist alike. The one can see and admire the fine 
masses of colour, and the other, especially if he be a 
late arrival on American soil, has an opportunity of 
seeing many little points as regards arrangement, 
blending of colour, and methods pursued in planting 
out that are entirely new to him. 
On Sunday, the 8th of June, I paid a visit to the 
city. Leaving Fremont Street, with its dust, cars and 
crowds, I found myself threading the trim walks over¬ 
shadowed with giant Elms, mostly Ulmus campestris 
and U. Americana, and here and there long stretches 
of green sward. What a relief it was to be out of the 
broiling sun and under the cool shade of those noble 
trees! Thousands of people were there, standing, 
reclining and walking, glad of an hour’s respite from 
toil, the din and clatter, the smoke and dust of the 
streets. 
Mr. Doogue, the capable superintendent, called the 
people’s attention during the spring to the fact that 
many of those old giants were dying of consumption, 
and that something must be done to preserve their life 
a few years longer. I observed dead limbs as I passed 
along, which tell that they are not so robust as they 
should be. The cause of this, he says, is owing to the 
poor, unprepared state of the soil when the trees were 
planted, and the exhaustion long ago of any nourish¬ 
ment it may then have contained. During the dry 
hot summers, too, any rain that does fall, never reaches 
the roots at a time when they are most in want of 
moisture, but is carried off by the channels into the 
drains, and the closely-mown grass lends aid to the 
drying up process. Mr. Doogue proposes to re-invigo- 
rate them to some extent by sowing down a part in 
Buckwheat every year and ploughing in the crop, until 
the whole is gone over; by so doing he thinks the trees 
will get something to feed upon, and thereby prolong 
their life. 
Passing into the lower part of the Common, where 
all Boston seems to have turned out to gaze upon a 
rich spread of floral beauty, I noticed that the beds are 
mostly round and oblong, and many of these are filled 
with Violas of every shade of colour, apparently raised 
from seed, and the majority small in size and worthless, 
except as a means of creating a mass of colour. In 
many cases the Violas serve as a groundwork for Pelar¬ 
goniums, mostly double sorts, which are plunged 
thickly in their 4-in. pots throughout. The heads of 
the Pelargoniums stand out boldly from amongst the 
carpet of Violas, and the effect is charming. In the 
public gardens they follow this method of plunging 
with most of their bedding plants. The object is to 
confine the roots from rambling in the rich soil, and so 
cause them to flower freely instead of making rank 
growth. 
A few beds of Spirtea japonica, with a groundwork of 
Eorget-me-not looked very pretty. I noticed in 
particular a narrow bed winding round the equestrian 
statue of George Washington, and which has a ground¬ 
work of Myosotis, thickly studded with Roses in pots 
apparently imported from Holland, pushed forward 
under glass, and then stood out-of-doors for the bright, 
spring sunshine to expand their buds. I noticed a few 
good sorts amongst them, and many poor varieties. 
They in turn will be removed to make room for 
summer subjects. 
In the most conspicuous places large vases are placed, 
filled with Hydrangeas and Spirma japonica, attracting 
the eye at every turn. Everything has the appearance 
of skilful management, and reflects credit upon the 
superintendent and staff employed. My visit was both 
pleasant and profitable.— J. S. R., N. Oohasset, Mass., 
June 2 0 th. 
-- 
Iiptitijtgs front TUarlb 
uf jStttmit, 
--i-- 
A Curious Case of Dimorphism. — Several 
species of Acalypha are well known to gardeners, but 
A. hispida is probably not known outside of botanic 
gardens, on account of its being much less ornamental 
than those which are generally popular. The specific 
name, hispida, applies to the coarse bristly hairs which 
thickly clothe the stem, but the leaves less densely so. 
Now, the stems and both surfaces of the leaves in many 
cases are finely pubescent, and not hispid at all. The 
leaves on this form are cordate, and light green, with a 
bronzy tint beneath. Suckers from the same plant 
have the stems, petioles, and the upper surface of the 
leaves hispid or coarsely hairy, and the leaves are 
bronzy above and red underneath. Sometimes the 
lower part of the stem is bristly, while the upper part 
is smooth. If the question were asked, what value 
this state of matters was to the plant, it might be 
answered that the bristles serve to protect the lower 
part of the plant from browsing animals, while the upper 
part being out of reach, required no such protection. 
In any case, protection is no doubt the object, and the 
enemy, if such there be, must be sought for in the 
native country of the plant in question.— J. F. 
A Persecuted Aphis. —There are about 182 
British species of Aphides, yet notwithstanding, all the 
species, whose general colour is green, are nothing 
more to gardeners in general than simply green-fly. 
Many of the aphides confine their attacks to certain 
plants or classes of plants, while a relatively smal 
number seem to attack all classes of plants indiscrim¬ 
inately. None, probably, are more ubiquitous than 
the aphis of Carnations, Rophalosiphon Dianthi. 
Both outdoors and under glass, this aphis attacks 
plants of the most diverse character, many of which 
are of great importance to gardeners ; consequently a 
perpetual warfare is being waged against the aphis all 
over the country. It is known to entomologists under 
at least seven different names taken often from the 
plants to which it has at various times and in different 
parts of the country proved destructive. Amongst the 
plants subject to the attacks of this aphis are Peaches, 
Nectarines, Apricots, Carnations, Fuchsias, Hyacinths, 
Tulips, Crocus, Cannas, Tobacco, Turnips, Potatos, 
Mallow, Hollyhock, Euonymus japonicus latifolius 
aureus, and very many others, even the common 
Groundsel. I have found it early in the spring upon 
Veronica pinquifolia and other plants in windows. In 
fact it is ubiquitous, and often causes a considerable 
amount of damage. It has even been saddled as the 
cause of the Potato disease. From the above facts it 
will be apparent that the aphis must suffer a great 
amount of persecution at the hands of gardeners, in 
the form of syringing, tobacco powder, tobacco smoke, 
and other insecticides. It sometimes gets attacked by 
a parasitical fungus which entirely invests its body ; and 
Ichneumon flies lay their eggs in its body. Notwith¬ 
standing all this persecution the species apparently 
suffers no sensible diminution except for the time 
being.— J. F. 
