78 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AXD  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
July  23,  1903. 
The  “Daffodil  King’’  on  Tour.— No.  7. 
(Continued  from  paffe  50.) 
The  vegetation  and  animal  life  of  Australia  are  highly 
pccoiliar — so  different  from  those  of  the  rest  of  the  world,  as  to 
show  that  this  great  island  cannot  have  had  any  land  connection 
with  the  continent  within  a  recent  geological  period.  The 
characteristic  trees  are  mainly  different  kinds  of  Eucalyptus,  some 
of  which  grow  to  a  greater  height  than  even  the  tallest  giants  of 
Sierra  Nevada,  California  (Chisholm).”  We  may  note  also 
Acacias,  Epacrises,  Tree  Ferns,  and  the  type  of  vegetation  known 
in  our  gardens  collectively  as  New  Holland  plants.  Mr.  Scott 
Elliott  in  his  “  Nature  Studies,”  gives  a  list  of  the  heights  of  the 
various  tallest  trees,  the  first  on  the  list  being  Eucalyptus 
amygdaloides,  reaching  to  4.59-498  feet.  Eucalypti  are  being 
introduced  to  parts  of  California,  and  largely  into  South  Africa, 
d'hey  make  forests  in  a  short  time.  Witness  the  woodlands  on 
the  outskirts  of  Johannesburg,  barely  over  twelve  years  old,  and 
in  the  distance  resemble  ancient  forests. 
AUSTRALIA 
After  having  noted  Mr.  Barr’s  travels  in  North  America, 
Japan,  Hong  Kong,  and  the  Philippine  Islands,  we  are  now  intro¬ 
duced  to  the  great  Lsland  Continent  of  the  southern  hemisphere, 
and  Port  Darwin,  Queensland,  is  our  .starting  place. 
Port  Darwin  has  a  “  botanical  garden,”  but  a  garden  only  in 
name,  however,  for  there  are  few  representative  plants.  Cocoa- 
nut  Palms  do  well,  and  it  was  here  that  Mr.  Barr  .saw  the  largest 
ftanyan  tree  of  his  tour.  He  was  very  considerably  intere.sted 
in  the  collection  of  small  birds  made  by  a  Frenchman  for  the 
European  markets.  He  had  thousands  of  them  caged  preparatory 
to  his  annual  visit  to  Hamburgh  and  London. 
The  next  stopping  place  was  Tluirsday  Island,  the  centre  of  the 
pearl  fishery,  and  the  town  here  is  more  Japanese  than  British, 
and  remarkably  hot.  No  other  ports  of  call  were  recorded  till 
Brisbane  was  reached,  for  the  .same  steamboat  company  had  coast¬ 
ing  boats  wdiich  took  off  both  passengers  and  cargo,  wliile  the 
ocean  ship  lay  well  out  from  land. 
According  to  Mr.  Barr’s  estimate,  Bri,sban0  is  the  second 
loveliest  town  in  Australia.  It  has  its  so-called  botanic  garden, 
but  the  Government  affords  very  little  support,  and  one  can  only 
speak  of  it  as  a  public  park.  One  part  is  devoted  to  flowers ; 
there  are  a  few  remarkable  trees,  and  lastly,  a  refreshment  place. 
Queensland  maintains  two  “man  o’  war”  ships  for  the  protec¬ 
tion  of  its  rivers.  During  a  great  flood  one  of  these  was  landed 
high  and  dry  in  the  botanic  garden  !  Shortly  after,  another  flood 
came  and  carried  it  back  again. 
In  the  neighbourhood  of  Brisbane,  Pineapples  are  grown,  and 
they  are  of  very  excellent  quality.  They  are  shipped  to  Sydney 
and  Melbourne.  There  is  also  an  experimental  farm  some  dis¬ 
tance  down  the  line,  under  very  able  management,  and  designed 
to  take  a  great  many  students.  Numerous  alterations  and  im¬ 
provements  were  contemplated.  One  of  the  most  profitable 
cultures  consisted  in  a  fine  breed  of  pigs,  which  sold  very  readily 
for  breeding  purposes. 
Maitland,  a  pushing  little  town,  was  the  next  resting  place; 
and  it  is  in  this  neighbourhood  that  Lucerne  is  so  largely  grown 
and  made  into  hay.  Much  of  this  found  its  way  into  South 
Africa  during  the  war. 
Then  comes  Newcastle,  famous  for  its  coal,  and  Sydney,  a  city 
of  narrow  streets,  yet  possessing  some  very  fine  buildings,  in¬ 
quiring  the  reason  for  the  very  narrow  streets,  Mr.  Barr  was  told 
they  were  old  bullock  tracks  along  which  shanties  were  located, 
and  were  succeeded  by  better  houses,  and  thus  the  streets.  Like 
London,  the  city  “  grew,”  with  no  general  plan,  though  it  is  to¬ 
day  very  well  built,  and  from  a  business  aspect  it  is  “  a  little 
London.”  Its  botanical  garden  may  be  said  to  have  been  com¬ 
menced  “  Avhen  Sydney  was  Amstfalia,”  for  only  a  few  miles  out 
lies  Botany  Baj',  leading  to  the  harbour,  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
world.  It  is  exceedingly  sti-ange  on  the  part  of  Captain  Cook, 
who  landed  at  Botany  Bay,  to  have  missed  the  opening  to  this 
grand  sheet  of  water,  in  which  the  largest  ocean  steamers  are 
berthed  close  up  to  the  land.  Gardening  in  and  around  Sydney 
v'ill  always  be  limited  owing  to  the  geological  structure,  which 
is  almost  all  solid  rock,  with  only  a  modicum  of  yellow  loam. 
The  botanic  garden,  however,  has  a  world-wide  fame,  and  was 
long  presided  over  by  Mr.  Charles  More,  Ai  ho  is  now  retired,  and 
succeeded  by  Mr.  Martin,  a  most  painstaking  botanist.  The 
plants  under  glass  are  in  excellent  condition,  while  out  of 
doors  the  Palm  collection  calls  for  a  special  note.  The 
botanical  garden  proper  is  confined  within  the  old  walls,  and  the 
area  is  not  large  ;  but  probably  by  this  time  the  wall  has  been 
removed  and  the  large  decorative  are.a  (which  is  reclaimed  land) 
brought  into  the  botanical  policies.  The  parks  and  .street  corners 
of  Sydney  are,  unfortunately,  largely  the  resort  of  idle  fellows 
and  schemers;  well  dressed  they  are,  but  no  one  knows  how  they 
get  their  living.  They  are  known  to  the  police,  however,  as 
“  gentlemen  of  no  occupation.” 
The  IJlue  Mountains,  and  Jenolon  Caves. 
The  Blue  Mountains  are  the  part  of  the  Dividing  Range  behind 
Sydney.  It  may  fitly  be  observed  that  the  Dividing  Range  forms 
throughout  New  South  Wales  a  more  continuous  barrier  than  it 
does  between  the  coast  lowdands  and  the  interior  plains  and 
tablelands  in  the  colony  of  Victoria,  and  it  was  long  before  the 
settler  found  a  way  across  the  Blue  Mountains.  No  one  should  fail 
to  go  up  the  Blue  Mountains.  There  are  some  most  wonderful  de¬ 
pressions  in  the  land,  such  as  Mr.  Barr  had  not  met  with  anywhere 
else  in  his  travels.  To  all  appearance  these,  at  some  remote 
period,  may  have  been  great  inland  seas,  such  as  are  now  to  be 
seen  in  the  United  States  of  America.  At  pi'esent  the  basins  are 
covered  with  virgin  fore.sts,  and  the  home  of  parrots  and  other 
wild  fauna.  Here  Mr.  Robert  Pitt,  cattle  salesman,  Sydney, 
has  a  fine  house  and  large  garden,  in  which  are  growm  some  fine 
sorts  of  Cherries  of  very  superior  quality,  and  many  other  kinds 
of  fruits ;  also  many  acres  of  Daffodils.  Mr.  Pitt,  during  the 
“  great  boom  ”  in  Australia  conceived  the  idea  of  growing  bulbs 
of  all  kinds,  and  spent  many  thou.sands  of  pounds  in  the  purchase 
of  Hyacinths,  Tulips,  Daffodils,  &c.,  with  the  view,  as  he  told 
Barr,  of  supplying  gratuitously  cut  flowers  to  the  Sydney  hospitals 
&c.  The  bubble  burst,  and  the  man  who  was  rich  in  paper  to-day 
found  himself  poor  in  coin  on  the  morrow,  and  so  charity  Avas 
realised  as  a  thing  which  begins  at  home. 
All  the  bulbous  plants  perished  except  the  Daffodils,  and  these 
alone  represent  the  fortune  expended  in  the  interest  of  “  good 
work,”  and  are  noAv  a  source  of  income  in  the  sale  of  the  cut 
flowers  and  dry  bulbs.  Continuing  the  journey  by  rail  up  the 
Blue  Mountains,  a  nece.ssary  rest  is  made  for  the  night, 
wdien  the  coach  starts  in  the  morning  to  the  Jenolon  caves.  These 
are  maintained  by  the  New  South  Wales  Government,  and  lighted 
by  electricity.  Tlie  caves  are  many,  and  new  ones  are  continually 
being  found.  The  guides  are  also  conservators,  and  receive  a 
premium  for  every  neAv  cave  found.  Two  parties  are  taken 
through  different  caves  daily,  and  to  see  all  several  days  are 
occupied.  One  cave  is  visited  after  breakfast,  and  one  after 
luncheon.  Stalactites  and  stalactimites  are  numerous  and  varied, 
and  in  one  of  the  caves  there  is  a  charming  miniature  cavern, 
called  the  Fairy  Grotto,  in  the  main  wall  of  the  cavern.  The  guide 
throws  a  limelight  on  it  first ;  it  looks  beautiful,  but  hard,  then 
he  turns  on  the  electric  light,  all  is  perfectly  transparent,  and 
so  lovely,  one  seeing  it  i.s  not  likely  soon  to  forget  the  charming 
sight,  each  stalactite  and  stalactimite  being  in  miniature  and  all 
perfect,  it  having  escaped  the  eyes  of  the  early  visitors  to  this 
cave  before  the  Government  had  taken  these  natural  wonders 
under  their  control. 
Paths  are  cut  all  through  the  caves,  and  no  one  is  permitted 
to  touch  or  to  pocket  any  article  Avithin  enclosure.  These 
caverns  had  been  the  homes  of  millions  of  bat.s,  as  evidenced  by 
the  great  accumulations  of  their  droppings.  None  Avere  noAv  to 
be  seen.  The  hotel  is  an  excellent  one,  and  run  by  the  Govern¬ 
ment;  no  intoxicating  drinks  are  alloAved  to  be  sold.  The  air  is 
most  delightful  and  refreshing.  After  spending  hours  under¬ 
ground  a  run  on  the  hill  drives  away  all  feelings  of  fatigue,  and 
sharpens  the  appetite  for  dinner.  The  feeling  Avas  one  of  delight 
to  those  Avho  had  come  up  to  put  in  a  few  days  or  Aveeks  and  thus 
escape  the  greater  heat  of  Sydney.  “  I  do  not  remember,”  .said 
the  aged  traveller,  “any  such  recuperating  atmosphere  as  that  I 
enjoyed  after  the  fatigues  experienced  in  exploring  these  Avon- 
derful  calcareous  productions.” 
Referring  again  to  the  Caves,  Mr.  Barr  said  he  visited 
a  similar  cave  in  Mondonedo  in  Spain,  and  believed  that  it  might 
compete  Avith,  if  not  excel,  those  of  Noav  South  Wales,  and  in 
saying  this  did  not  detract  from  those  of  New  South  Wales,  only 
to  show  Europe  has  wonders,  but  undeveloped,,  but  it  could  only 
be  seen  by  torch  light,  and  Avas  not  safe  to  enter  unless  a  guide 
rope  Avas  used.  The  trip  to  the  N.S.W.  caves  is  inexpensive,  and 
is  arranged  by  two  different  tourist  associations.  A  raihvay  pa,s;ses 
over  the  Blue  Mountains,  and  the  joumey  is  finished  on  coach. 
Violas  and  Pansies  from  Rothesay. 
Mr.  William  Cuthbertson.  the  senior  partner  in  the  Avell-knOAvn 
Scottish  firm  of  Dobbie  and  Co.,  has  sent  the  writer  a  lovely  gathering 
of  these  charming  floAvers,  that  have  been  brought  to  such  a  high  state 
of  perfection  by  the  firm. 
Amongst  Avhites,  the  tAvo  best  rayless  varieties  are  Emma  Sophia 
and  Mrs.  Macrae;  whilst  in  rayed  floAvers,  Duchess  of  York  and 
Bethea  are  the  tAvo  best,  of  excellent  habit,  Avhieh  makes  them  suitable 
for  bedding  as  Avell  as  for  exhibition. 
General  Baden-PoAvell  is  an  exceedingly  rich  yellow  for  exhibition. 
The  best  rich  deep  yellows  are  Bullion,  Klondyke,  and  Kingcup. 
Primrose  Dame,  Lady  Margaret,  and  Mary  Robertson  are  primrose- 
coloured  floAvers,  the  first-named  lieing  an  A1  bedder. 
Blue  Duchess  is  the  best  light  blue  variety  for  massing.  Tjady 
Roberts  is  a  charming  floAver.  Avhite,  edged  pale  blue.  Florizel  is 
pale  lavender  in  the  mass ;  it  is  one  of  the  late  Dr.  StoAvart's  fine 
introductions. 
Endyinion  is  a  beautiful  lemon-yelloAV  self,  indispensable  for  exhi¬ 
bition.  Another  floAver  of  high  exhibition  standard  is  Meteor  (Paton), 
grand,  large,  rieh  yelloAv  of  perfect  habit.  Paragon,  not  yet  sent  out, 
js  a  rich,  deep  purpli.Ji-violet  floAA'er,  with  golden  eye.  A  large  and 
