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93.08.07

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Nathaniel McKay, 1893-08-07. 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/1890-6/1893/93-08-07-final.odt>, accessed June 13, 2026

1
Letter not found. The text given here is from 'Salt soils in the Mallee, Practical suggestions for their improvement and utilisation', Mildura cultivator, 26 August 1893, p. 4 (B93.08.05). The letter is introduced by 'Baron von Mueller replied, under date 7 August, to a letter sent by the editor, in reply to a former communication of the Baron's on the subject, as follows:—'
McKay asked about barilla in N. McKay to M, 1893 (in this edition as 93-00-00c), but it is apparently not that letter to which M is replying here, although the part questioning the production of barilla was not answered in M to N. McKay, 1893 (in this edition as 90.00.00d), which was reported to be the answer to McKay's letter.
As regards barilla, I fear the gain would not be satisfactory, considering distance of soap factories from the source of supply, value of land, cost of cultivation, extraction and crystallisation. Early vegetables would likely be the best paying crop. I mean 'early' from your warmer region, sent to cooler places in Victoria. Could the freight be calculated? It might not, perhaps, be too high for supplying several cities of Victoria with the raw vegetables first of all in the seasons. I might add that even in countries where barilla has been produced for centuries from the ashes of maritime plants, it is now difficult to render the article now payable on account of its being manufactured from chloride of sodium very extensively. But by all means let a local experiment be made on a small scale with all kinds of saline plants: the advantage of rearing culinary vegetables would, however, be that the product could at once be turned from the field to monetary account. Not so with a harvest of barilla plants. I will readily discuss this promising subject further, if desired.
2
The article also included a letter from McKay to Maurice Holtze, Director of the Adelaide Botanic Garden, and his response, and a summary of the views of C. W. McCurdy of the Idaho Experiment Station, USA, on the treatment of alkali soils.