Monthly report of the Government Botanist for July 1859.2
The declivity below the Gardeners cottage at the western entrance of the gardens has been planted with rock-plants. The dike on the lagoon walk was nearly completed when at the end of the month a reduction of the number of labourers by us employed became imperative and this work in consequence can not be resumed before September when the digging of our extensive borders, now absorbing nearly all our labour, will be completed. Some of the walks in the central part of the Garden have been lined with young trees for avenues, including Moreton Bay fig, Chinese locust tree and white Cedar, for which the soil had to be carted from the Yarra. It is doubtful whether the planting of trees along the new main walk through the Northern Ground can be yet carried out this season since some unexpected delays arose in obtaining the iron-treeguards necessary for this purpose. But a line of Walnut-trees and of Blue Gum is planted along the fence facing the suburban railroad.
New borders have been laid out around the Palm house. An excellent propagating House, of which we stand greatly in need has been completed already for the greater part, altho it is erected solely with the means directly at my command — there being no vote available from which it could have been built by the public works office. The brick, timber and glass for this building is defrayed out of our votes for stores and the labor out of our wages-fund. Provision is made for rearing in this house the huge Amazone Water lily Victoria regia. A very large number of cuttings has been prepared and for their reception a part of the nursery became enlarged, so that a still greater supply of plants for distribution will be available for next year, altho' alone this month many thousand plants have been supplied by us.
An embankment has been raised across the lagoon in the Northern Ground along the fence in order to retain throughout the year a high level of this little lake, which when shallow becomes very unsightly. Many young plants of rare species have been transferred now from the nursery to the open borders, of which they will be a future ornament, chiefly the many Western Australian species lately planted out. About 1000 Blue Gums have been planted out in the Government House reserve along the St. Kilda road.
The soil of the Garden, being naturally poor and much exhausted now by many years cultivation, received for the greater part a dressing of bone manure and Guano. The iron fence, intended for future separation of the zoologic paddocks in the reserves and the botanic Garden, has been completed as far as it was under contract, also the wooden fence for the small deer-park, whence for the present some of the Llamas are removed. The arrival of 46 Trushes3 sent by Mr Edward Wilson rendered the removal of our eagles to one of our stables necessary until there will be possible to arrange for an other building for these animals. It is much to be regretted that the Garden is still deprived of a constant supply of fresh water which either through the Yan Yean pipes should be obtained or by a small ornamental windmill. The latter with the necessary extensive pipes to the Yarra could however not be furnished for less than £200 - -, a sum not available for the purpose. As soon as by one or the other means an uninterrupted water-supply becomes available a series of piscinariums might easily be supplied with a current stream and thus foreign fishes be reared up with some prospect of success in their introduction. The animals under my charge are all in good health. Additions to the menagerie are 2 Cape Goats presented by Mr de Graves.
A case with living plants has been imported from Hamburgh. An other with Chatham Island plants was presented by the Honorable Dr Featherstone of Wellington Superintendent of the Province of New Zealand.
Besides these we received several smaller contributions for the Garden and herbarium. Collections of dried plants have been despatched to Sir William Hooker, Kew, Professor Harvey, Dublin, Professor Asa Gray Boston, Dr. Sonder, Hamburgh and other learned Botanists and Wardian Cases with living plants to the botanic Gardens of Adelaide and Hobarton and to Mr Evans of New Zealand.
The work on the herbarium has steadily continued as far as the Directors time at this busy part of the season admitted. The 6th number of the fragmenta phytogr. Austral. was edited.4 About 20 quarto pages of the flora of Victoria have been printed by the Government Printer and 16 lithographic plates are ready for this work5 which will now progress without interruption, the collections for comparing with it finally the notes and for elaborating the remainder of the descriptions having been put into perfect order.
Ferd. Mueller.6
Victoria regia
Please cite as “FVM-59-08-00d,” in Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, edited by R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora†, J.H. Voigt† and Monika Wells accessed on 25 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/59-08-00d