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70.03.11

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Ferdinand von Mueller to the Council of the Board of Agriculture, Victoria, 1870-03-11. R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora, J.H. Voigt and Monika Wells (eds), Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, <https://vmcp.rbg.vic.gov.au/id//letters/1870-9/1870/70-03-11-final.odt>, accessed May 15, 2026

1
Letter not found. For the text given here, see B70.14.02.
REPORT OF THE JUDGES UPON ESSAYS ON THE DISEASE CALLED "TAKE-ALL."
We, the undersigned Judges appointed by the Council of the Board of Agriculture to award the premium of £50, offered for the best practical essay on the disease called "Take-all," treating especially as to its origin and cure, have the honour to report as follows:—
Five essays were sent in for competition, and were submitted to our adjudication. After mature consideration we arrived at the conclusion that the essay with the motto, "O fortunatôs nimium, sua si bona norint — agricolas,"
2
The essay by Carl Mücke, published as Mücke (1870). The quotation is from Virgil, Georgics, II, 458 [O how very happy farmers could be, if only they would count their blessings].
is deserving of the premium, in accordance with notice in the Government Gazette, 10th November, 1869.
We also beg to recommend the essay bearing the motto "Pabulum" to the consideration of the Council, and would suggest that a small premium be presented to the author for the very practical and useful information contained in it.
3
The judges’ report is followed by a report from the fourth judge, James M'Intosh, recommending that the essay marked 'Pabulum' receive the £50 premium. The Council discussed the two reports at its meeting on 21 April 1870 and resolved ‘that Dr. Muecke be written to asking how much money he would require to publish the essay, and present the board with 100 copies’ (Argus, 22 April 1870, p. 5). Mücke’s reply has not been found but publication was evidently settled upon, for in its report to the Board of Agriculture, the Council noted that Mücke’s prize essay was shortly to be published. The Council went on to report that ‘in accordance with the recommendation of the judges’, a second prize, of £10, had been awarded to Thomas Agg. The Council added that it believed that 'to many who may be unable to follow the scientific essay of Dr. Muecke, Mr Agg's essay will be found a peculiarly profitable and interesting study', and noted that Agg ‘has promised to supply the board with 200 copies of the essay at his own expense’. See Leader (Melbourne), 20 August 1870, p. 7, and Agg (1870).
FERD. VON MUELLER
FREDERICK SEARCH.
R. SAVAGE.
Offices, Board of Agriculture,
Queen-street, Melbourne, 11th March, 1870.