Sir.—
In the issue of your valuable publication of yesterday you refer in most generous terms to the introduction of the marum1 grass through some initiating action of mine.2 While most gratefully recognising the most kind sentiments of yours, I would like to say that I carried out also in this instance, after personal inspection there, merely a duty devolving on me in the official position which I have the honour to hold. But I avail myself of this opportunity further to add, that very high praise is due to the enlightened measures of your local council to giving practical effect to this particular introduction, and, further, ample recognition is due to the intelligent and persevering efforts of so able a cultivator as your Mr Samuel Avery. Had it not been for his exertions, the little I have done would have been of no avail to my fellow colonists there.3 It is quite a triumph to Port Fairy to help other parts of Australia, and even other southern lands, from your now extensively established resources of this incomparable grass for coast sands.4 Allow me to send you some few pods of a "burr-clover without burrs,” not deteriorating fleeces, which plant I introduced as of great promise to Australian sheep pastures, as auxiliary through its copious scattered and dropping fruits for summer sustenance.5 From one plant at my little dwelling here, I obtained the exceptional number of 1400 seeds.6
Yours, &c.,
Ferd. Von Mueller.
South Yarra,7 22nd July, 1893.
marrum?
The article to which M is responding appeared in the Port Fairy gazette, 21 July 1893, p. 2, and included the following remarks:
The bare, shifting sand hummocks of our coast range have in a few years by means of this wonderful grass [marram grass] been for miles transformed into hills of verdure, and influential visitors to the town have been greatly impressed by this transformation of sand wastes into beautiful green rolling downs. The consequence has been that intelligence concerning the alteration effected has been disseminated far and wide, one of the principal factors in the transmission of the information having been the Government Botanist, Baron Ferd. von Mueller, under whose enthusiastic direction the grass was first introduced to the colony and planted on Port Fairy seaboard. Through the Baron's agency, this season, applications for a supply of the grass have reached the local borough council from Natal, in South Africa, and from Albany, in West Australia; whilst at the last meeting of this council, on Wednesday evening, a whole batch of letters were read, all preferring requests that some of the remarkable grass might be forwarded to the writers, the quantities asked for ranging from 1 ton to a single pound. These communications came from the most remote parts of the continent, ranging from Charters Towers, in North Queensland, to Goolwa, in South Australia, residents in Tasmania likewise joining in the demand for the plant.
See M to S. Avery, June 1893 (in this edition as 93-06-00b).
See M to C. Neylon, June 1893 (in this edition as 93-06-00a); 'Rural topics', Australasian, 24 June 1893, p. 1149, values the export at 25 shillings per ton delivered to railway station or wharf.
Medicago scutellata? See M to N. McKay, 1893 (in this edition as 93-00-00d), and B91.09.01, p. 273.
Editor's note: 'We shall be pleased to hand seeds referred to to any resident desirous of cultivating same.'
Melbourne.
Letter not found. The text given here is from 'The Port Fairy Marum Grass', Port Fairy gazette, 28 July 1893, p. 2 (B93.07.04). Most of the letter was reprinted in the Leader, 5 August 1893, p. 5 (B93.08.06). A section of the letter commencing 'It is quite a triumph' was reprinted in Bendigo independent, 12 August 1893, p. S 2 (B93.08.04).
Please cite as “FVM-93-07-22,” 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