[Mr W. Webb has handed us a communication which he has just received from Baron Von Mueller (naturalist) in answer to enquiries made by Mr. Webb regarding the properties of marram grass. The communication describes the grass as being incomparable for reclaiming coast sands.1]
The passage transcribed here is followed by:
The Melbourne Leader of February 22 says: "Baron Von Mueller is regarded with much gratefulness in New Zealand for his marram grass which was planted last winter in the sandhills near Dunedin and at New Brighton in Canterbury and is thriving exceedingly. For the purpose of reclaiming loose sand, it is now found that this grass will succeed in reclaiming much valuable land in New Zealand from the in-roads of the sand mounds in the coast districts."
The quotation differs from the original (Leader (Melbourne), 22 February 1896, p. 5, col. c) in puncuation, and the use of 'it is now found' in place of the original 'it is now proved'.
The report ends with comments on the usefulness of the marram grass in WA and an appeal to readers who have cultivated it to share their experience with the newspaper.
The passage from the Leader was quoted in other Australian newspapers, for example Telegraph (Brisbane), 6 March 1896, p. 5, col. e, and Bendigo Independent, 7 March 1896, p. 3, col. d.
Letter not found. The letter given here is from 'Marram Grass', Australian advertiser (Albany, WA), 5 March 1896, p. 3, col. d. The letter is dated to 22 February 1896 as the earliest that it could been sent to have enclosed the passage quoted from a dated Melbourne newspaper.
Please cite as “FVM-96-02-22a,” 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