Botanic Garden
Melbourne, 13/12/72.
Sir
I have the honor to inform you, that, since you expressed a wish of my giving an opinion as to the causes of the decay of many trees of Cupressus macrocarpa and Cup. Goveniana, I have examined such of the suffering plants as were readily within my reach, either in the Govt. House Reserve or in other localities near the city.1 I have found in some instances that moisture had become stagnant around the plants during the wet season, and that the roots had commenced to decay on that side of the plants on which the humidity had collected. In other instances the upper roots of a dying tree of either of these kinds, lodged in friable surface soil, were quite healthy, while the lower roots, imbedded in tenacious clay, were in a state of decay. Other causes may have operated also to induce the suffering of these trees, but to root-decay I have traced the destruction of several of the specimens which came under my notice, though very possibly other circumstances, yet to be elucidated by future research, may participate in causing the losses of these trees. The uprooting of suffering trees which might recover could of course be carried out only to a limited extent2
Both Cupressus macrocarpa and Cup. Goveniana are naturally limited in their growth to the forest-ridges and wooded heights of Monterey, facing the sea at Cypress Point about 37° N.L., where — as far as I have hitherto been able to ascertain — the temperature is comparatively speaking equable, and where the soil seems largely to consist of the detritus of coarsegrained granite, mixed with humus soil from forest foliage. In soil from vegetable remnants and disintegrated granitic rocks any surplus of moisture will freely perculate, while always a slight humidity will be retained. I consider it also likely that, in their natural sheltered silvan regions of a close proximity to the coast, these trees are never exposed to such extremes of temperature, as they have to endure near Melbourne, where a sirocco like scorching wind from the north-western desert interior may suddenly be followed by a cold antarctic breeze from the south-west, causing extraordinary changes in the temperature within a few hours. Moreover both Cupressus macrocarpa and C. Goveniana may require for their continuous healthy development a soil peculiarly constituted as regards its chemical ingredients, and this seems to be indicated by the extremely limited area within which these cypresses naturally occur in California itself. I will endeavour to obtain samples of their natural soil for analysis from their native place. I will also in course of time subject the ashes of a number of healthy and of diseased trees to chemical analysis, in order to see whether any deficiencies can thus be traced out in the soil, from which the latter arose. But such analyses can only have value when carried out from material obtained on many different spots.
So far as experience hitherto goes I would advise, that great caution should be exercised in removing the shelter which other trees (even eucalypts3) within moderate distances may afford for plantations of these cypresses; that wherever the soil consists of heavy clay or other substances, not readily pervious to moisture, such retentive soils should be removed and be replaced by light friable yet not sterile earth; that furthermore all places in which these trees are planted should be properly drained and finally that the trees in very hot weather should be moderately watered, so that a perfect exsiccation of the soil at their roots4 would become an impossibility. These trees may indeed suffer quite as much from the want of a certain requisite nutriment as from exposure, or quite as much from excess of moisture during one season as from extremes of dryness at an other. It may also happen that a tree, insiduously attacked long ago and slowly suffering (as I have witnessed here myself), may for very many months appear to be lingering rather from dryness than from wetness at the time of its being first examined, and yet very likely it was the latter and not the former which caused, in first instance, the morbid state and the impaired nutrition, under which these cypresses have commenced to succumb on some spots.
The ordinary cypress of the Mediterranean Sea suffers in a manner very similar to the Californian kinds, but may more readily recover. Large specimens, moved in a half up-grown state, are also more likely to suffer than such as have been reared from small seedlings on the spot, because in the lifting and transfer of large plants the roots must necessarily be removed and injured at least to some extent. It should also be avoided, to heap heavy stiff soil, obtained from adjacent drains, around the young cypress trees. In some perhaps exceptional instances, on ground not under my control, the lower branches were actually buried under such soil and, as might be expected, the trees were decaying. If mulching is to be resorted to, it should be done loosely with light grass. The ground around these cypresses should be widely and deeply trenched, and the trenching, wherever rows of trees are planted, should be continuous. The extremely rapid growth of the trees renders it necessary to bring successively commensurate nutriment within their reach, and this can only be done by offering ample space for the expansion of their roots. Poor ground may require periodical addition of rich soil or well decomposed manuring substances from which no fungi or other parasites are likely to emanate.
Both Cupressus macrocarpa and Cupressus Goveniana were discovered at a comparatively recent time, namely in 1839, and my own distribution of seedlings of these trees in masses commenced here only in 1859. We have therefore not yet had full opportunities to become acquainted with all the necessary requirements of either, but I believe that the precautionary measures indicated by me will secure for us here also the lasting possession of these noble plants.
I have the honor to be, Sir,
your obedient servant
Ferd von Mueller,
Director botan Garden
The honorable J. J. Casey &c &c
Minister of the Lands Department.5
Cupressus Goveniana
Cupressus macrocarpa
M was asked for a report by minute dated 22 October 1872 on a memorandum from C. Hodgkinson to J. Casey; see notes to M's preliminary report, M to J. Casey, 26 October 1872 (in this edition as 72-10-26a).
The uprooting ... limited extent inserted by M.
even eucalypts inserted by M.
at their roots is written by M.
On 18 December 1872, Casey referred M's letter to the Secretary of Agriculture, A. Wallis. He referred it on 15 January 1873 'for perusal of Mr Bickford' [overseer of parks and reserves], and he in turn initialled the file on 31 January.
MS written by Georg Luehmann with valediction and signature by M.
Please cite as “FVM-72-12-13,” 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