From Ferdinand von Mueller to George Story   27 Aug 1874

Melbourne

27/8/74.

By no means would I wish, dear Dr Story, that at your venerable age you should expose yourself to the inclemency of the weather or to the wet of hardly accessible localities for any plants, I might wish from your locality. There is besides time till summer for the Zannichellia &c.

I am pleased with your success in the growth of the Cinchonas. Anywhere in your island they will grow, where no frost occurs, and such places are there numerous & extensive in your ferngullies. In justice to yourself (and perhaps myself, who was the first to raise Cinchonas in Australia) and also for the benefit of Tasmanian rural resources, I would suggest to you, to send a leaf of your Cinchona plant to every Tasmanian paper with a note of the ratio of growth per year, also a note on the agerage¹ temperature of the place where you so judiciously put the Cinchonas.²

That would give a good opportunity to draw also public attention there to the fact, that great rural wealth might accrue to your island, if Cork Oaks, Teaplants &c were in masses raised in such forest land, as would be inaccessible for ordinary cereal crops, or too wet for them. You may thus become a still greater benefactor to your adopted country

Regardfully your

Ferd von Mueller

Let me hope your health is firm.

Cinchona

Zannichellia