25/1/87
The plants, which you so kindly collected, dear Mr Ranford, were brought to me yesterday by Mr Nyulasy, and I beg to send you herewith the list of names,1 as you may wish perhaps to append it to your report. It is delightful, gradually to see the vast extent of Australia also phytologically explored, and it is a great credit to your honorable chief, that he fostered this line of extra-researches also in his Department, and that his officers are interested in this work also
West Australia is the richest part of Australia in numerical amounts of different species of plants, and large additions to the records will have to be made yet, while surveys and settlements proceed. I wish very much, that your colony and South-Australia would combine, to send Mr Giles out, to explore the country N. W. of Lake Amadeus,2 where large tracts are likely to yield a revenue to the two colonies; and it seems a pity, that such country should remain unknown and so long be withheld from utilisation. If each of the two colonies, who are directly interested in this, would grant £500, the exploration could be carried out this season, as Sir Thomas Elder with his usual generosity would likely give the loan of Camels. Could you kindly bring this proposition under the favorable notice of the W.A. Government?3 It would save S. A. & W. A. much expense, sooner or later to be incurred anyhow.4 When you write to the Hon. John Forrest, pray, give him my best salutation.
As you so thoughtfully ask for suggestions, how collecting of plants during the Survey Expeditions might be made most valuable for science, I would beg to observe, that the aim should be, to get together as many different species as ever possible; the minutest plants count for science-purposes as much as the largest, the insignificantly looking as much as the showy. Then fruiting specimens are as valuable as flowering ones, and often more so. Waterplants should also be included; indeed from regions, not yet carefully traversed by Botanists, any kind of plant is valuable for record of locality. To expedite drying plants, put into sheets of papers, they (plants and paper) should be spread in thin sets on the air, and the sets occasionally halved, which brings the wet inside outside, and dry outside inside quickly. On Sundays the specimens (so far as dry) can be closely packed, to get much of the paper empty again and each parcel be kept by itself, probably not too large to be sent by successive mails.
Regardfully your
Ferd. von Mueller
Please cite as “FVM-87-01-25,” 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 27 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/87-01-25