Melbourne, 16th June, 1896.
In accordance with your telegram of last week1 I have procured seeds of pastoral Salt-bushes, and was fortunate to obtain four of the best sorts quickly, and at moderate prices. They came from Riverina,2 at a place about three hundred miles from Melbourne, and are quite fresh and well matured. The species now sent are Atriplex halimoides; A. semibaccatum; A. leptocarpum; and A. nummularium; total 17 lbs. in 17 bags. These comprise, as you will see from my 'Select Plants,' the leading species for herds and particularly flocks. I would have added A. vesicarium, which is similar in all respects to A. malimoides,3 had I been able to procure the seed of this kind. What are called seeds constitute really fruits, each of them containing one seed, the covering serving as nutriment for the embryo seedling.
Atriplex halimoides
Atriplex leptocarpum
Atriplex malimoides
Atriplex nummularium
Atriplex semibaccatum
Atriplex vesicarium
Telegram not found.
NSW.
Typesetter's error for A. halimoides?
Letter not found. For the text given here, see Journal of the Bureau of Agriculture (Perth, WA), vol. 3, no. 17 (30 June 1896), p. 448 (B96.06.02). The text is appended to an article on 'Australian Salt-Bushes' by M (B96.06.01), reprinted from the Australasian, 23 May 1896, p. 8 (B96.05.07). The letter is introduced as follows: 'On the 9th inst the Bureau wired to Baron von Mueller, asking him to kindly purchase and forward seeds of the best varieties. The following reply has been received:--'.
The expected arrival of the seeds was announced in WA newspapers, for example 'Salt-bush seeds', Inquirer and commercial news (Perth, WA), 19 June 1896, p. 8, which stated that the seeds 'will be distributed among several persons in the eastern districts for experimental purposes. The seeds will be sown on rapidly expanding alkali patches, and it is expected that they will have the effect, in the course of time, of reducing the alkali in the soil, and rendering these patches fit for cultivation.'
Please cite as “FVM-96-06-16a,” 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