154 THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 
tance. There are others who, either consciously or un- 
consciously, seem to have a thorough grip of Charles 
Darwin’s dictum, “That Nature causes benefits to arise 
from crossing, and abhors self-fertilization,’ and are en- 
deavouring to bring together the most valuable plants of 
certain families, and are trying to centre the blood of the 
very best forms in given directions. 
There are many wild plants in the Australian bush 
which may be profitably utilised, either as food, textile 
substances, or for other useful purposes. 
In floriculture’ a great number of Australian plants 
have been grown in the conservatories and hot-houses of 
wealthy people in Great Britain and the Continent of 
Europe, and many of these have been considered of such 
inerit that they have many years ago been figured in Cur- 
tis’s Botanical Magazine and other European illustrated 
works not available to the Australian public. 
There are many other wild flowers which have not yet 
been tried that are most attractive for their beauty and 
associations An attempt should be made to develop forms 
or varieties from some of the best of our Australian vege- 
tation, both by intense cultivation and by crossing with 
closely related forms. 
Tn the United States of America, and also in South 
Africa, several species of our Eucalypts and Acacias have 
been considered of sufficient importance that in former 
years large quantities of seeds were purchased from firms 
in the Australian States for extensive cultivation for timber, 
tannins and other uses. Many of these are now sufficiently 
developed to be able to yield enough seed without importing 
them from our shores. : 
We do not seem to realise the importance of our native 
vegetation, and consequently the very best is now becoming 
scarce, and very little attempt is being made to replenish 
it by artificial aid. 
Although many of the early explorers have pointed out 
some more or less useful Australian fruits, and +o these 
have been added others by the works of the late Baton von 
Mueller, as well as by I. Manscu Bailey, of Queensland, 
and by J. H. Maiden, R..T. Baker, H. G. Smith and others 
of our own State, very little attempt has. been made to try 
and improve them 5y cultivation. Some of the very best 
which have already been brought under notice are: The 
Herbert River Cherry (Antidesma Dallichyanum), which 
| 
| 
