Monthly report of the Government Botanist & Director of the botanic & zoologic Garden for
August 1859. 2
The old rustic bridge at the aviary has been replaced by an new one, resting on strong iron pillars, and having an additional width of 6'; its railings are also of iron, thus likely to be lasting almost permanently. The iron-fence near the Yarra foot-bridge, to replace the old wooden fence is under progress of erection. The dike on the Yarra is almost completed. The digging of all the shrub- and flower-borders has been carried out during the month, the edgings are in part trimmed and thus the whole garden has now a neat clean appearance at the season, when the beautiful spring vegetation attracts so many visitors to our Ground. Mr Dallachy was sent for a few days to the Dandenong ranges to collect for the Gardens. Those walks in the Central portion of the Gardens, which were not yet lined with trees, have been planted with Chinese Locust trees and Powlonias.3 The Nursery has been enlarged, an abundant stock of cuttings and seeds has been been put in, so that, unless the season should be very unfavorable there will be a very large ammount of plants available for distribution next winter. In the zoological Gardens trees have been planted along the Northern fence-line. The labelling of the plants is continuing. Bone manure has been applied to the barren parts of the Ground.
The work on the plants of Victoria4 is making fair progress; 20 lithographic plates are either ready or under preparation and 4 sheets of the letter press have been printed by Mr Ferris. As the season advances numerous specimens are dried for interchange with herbariums abroad.
Evidence of the expenses and system of working of my establishment has been given before the Civil service commission.5
The animals of the menagerie and the singing birds are all in excellent health, but a Cape Goat recently presented by Mr De Graves, but received in a deplorably diseased state has died. Some Kangaroos and a few minor animals have been added to the Menagerie including Manilla doves. A pure Alpaca Ram is promised by the New South Wales Government for our menagerie, to be forwarded next month. A Case of living plants has been sent to the botanic Garden of Mauritius, an other to that of the Cape of good Hope, a third to New Plymouth and a fourth to Moreton Bay and a fifth for Wellington, N. Zealand, and a sixth to Hobarton. Whilst we have received besides many small contributions, 1 Case with living plants from Hon. Dr. Featherstone of Wellington, an other from Hamburgh, one from Ballarat, one from New Plymouth, 1 from Sydney, 1 from Hon. Mr. Brooke, Heidelberg, and one from London.
The propagating house constructed from material obtained out of my store-vote and built by labor paid out of my wages fund, is now nearly ready. A large lot of Wheeping Willow cuttings have been planted around the very unsightly inundations on the Yarra between Princes bridge and the botanic Gardens.
Many public reserves have during the month been supplied by us with young trees shrubs and seeds.
Some interesting specimens have been added to our herbarium by W. Woolls Esqr.
The Number of Sunday Visitors has been only 9960 in August in consequence of the very unfavourable weather on those days.
Ferd. Mueller, M.D.
Director.6
Please cite as “FVM-59-09-00c,” 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 26 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/59-09-00c