Melbourne botan. Garden
4/1/67
Sir
In reply to your letter of yesterday1 I have the honor to inform you, that no water is used from the Yan Yean works in the botanic Garden except at night hours or on rainy days. The water made use of during day hours is obtained from the Yarra, the Lake or the rainwater cisterns of the houses. If it exceptionally happens that visitors not properly close the drinking taps it is almost certain that the Gardener in charge of the respective portion of the Garden or reserves will find the neglect out without much loss of time. To save the plants from exsiccation and yet to avoid withdrawal of water from the neighbouring population it has been arranged last year as well as this year, that irrigation is only applied once a week to each portion of the ground & then in very indeed the most moderate quantity & this from 11 p.m. til 5. a.m. Even the water carts are at work during these night hours.
I have the honor to be, Sir
your most obedient servant
Ferd. Mueller
The Undersecretary
I omitted to mention, that the small reservoirs sunk on the highest points of my ground are filled on rainy nights & that by gravitation this water (so stored up) is distributed over the lower grounds in open channels during hot days especially on localities where night watering is not readily to be controlled.
J. Moore to M, 3 January 1867.
Please cite as “FVM-67-01-04,” 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