[Baron von Mueller has kindly supplied us with seeds of the most approved varieties, for local experiment. We have entrusted those seeds to careful hands, and will be glad to hear how the beets thrive.]1
The article continues with descriptions of the soil conditions under which the seeds were expected to grow well. It concludes with the comment: 'It would be a great saving to this settlement if all the sugar used in fruit-preserving and jam-making were grown and manufactured on the settlement'.
Letter not found. The text given here is from Mildura cultivator, 11 November 1983, p. 7, col. b. Assuming that this weekly newspaper would report the availability of the seeds in the next available issue, M's letter is dated to 6 November 1893 as the earliest likely date the seeds would have been sent. The extract is introduced by ' Serious attention is being turned towards the beet sugar industry, which is assuming such importance in Austria, Germany and California. It is thought that it can be successfully carried on in Victoria, where the conditions of soil and climate closely resemble those of the last named country.' Seeds were also sent to the Mildura irrigationist and announced in its issue of 11 November (M to Mildura irrigationist, 6 November 1893). Seeds were also distributed to other areas; see M to T. Easton, 16 November 1893 (in this edition as 93-11-16b) and notes thereto.
Please cite as “FVM-93-11-06a,” 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