The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: Septr 25 /81 ¶ My dear Baron ¶ ¶ The case which you have so kindly directed to be sent with ¶ Andersonias ¶ , has arrived, ¶ but with the plants ¶ stone dead ¶ , as was indeed to be expected. It i...

Document information

Physical location:

RB MSS M3, Library, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. 81.09.25

Plant names

Andersonia
Search for Andersonia in
- This website
- Australian Plant Name Index
Epacrideae
Search for Epacrideae in
- This website
- Australian Plant Name Index
Helicia
Search for Helicia in
- This website
- Australian Plant Name Index

Preferred Citation:

Joseph Hooker to Ferdinand von Mueller, 1881-09-25. 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/1880-9/1881/81-09-25-final.odt>, accessed June 4, 2026

MS embossed with crest of Royal Gardens Kew. MS annotation by M: 'Answ 22/11/81'; see M to J. Hooker, 22 November 1881.

Septr 25 /81

My dear Baron

The case which you have so kindly directed to be sent with s , has arrived,

See M to J. Hooker, 12 July 1881 (in this edition as 81-07-12a).

but with the plants stone dead , as was indeed to be expected. It is quite impossible to send such plants alive in a Ward's case — they are most impatient of moisture, & indeed it is by moisture that they are killed in our Greenhouses. In old days, when the water was not "laid on" to the houses & the young and old Gardeners had to walk a good way to fetch every pot of water, these "hard-wooded" things were well grown — & then the soft-wooded ones were starved — now it is all the other way, the soft wooded flourish, & the hard wooded are watered to death .

These plants, , — can only be introduced by seed, & that is why I have so often asked for their seeds. Mangles & Drummond introduced most of them — all by seeds in letters. As did Cunningham & his predecessors.

No plants could be better than these when put into the case by Mr Webb

William Webb.

& the case itself is in perfect order — the soil is quite moist — & the plants are perfectly well packed, but they are dependent for life on a free circulation of dryish air, — the steamy interior of a Ward's case, or of a damp pit, is fatal to .

The seed sent by post arrived quite dead, I am glad of it, for the Museum however.

Thanks for the note about the Nipa .

See M to J. Hooker, 4 August 1881.

I have written to Mr Webb asking for seeds of them & other & informing him of the total loss of every specimen. — they have evidently been dead for weeks & I cannot doubt but that the first heat killed them by raising vapor in the case.

We are accumulating a huge collection of Brown's plants for you

Duplicates from specimens collected by Robert Brown (1773-1858) received at Kew from the British Museum.

—do not suppose that you are forgotten here, but you have no idea of the work we have to get through in the day.

See also M to J. Hooker, 22 November 1881.

Ever sincerely yr

Jos. D. Hooker