Ferdinand von Mueller

1

Letter not found. The text given here is from Ballarat star , 6 October 1893, p. [2], col. g. It is dated to 3 October as the latest likely that that it could have been sent, received by Longley, and communicated to the newspaper. Packets of seeds were also sent to other regional gardens at this time ; see M to P. Doran, 3 October 1893.

[ Mr Longley, the curator of the Botanical Gardens, has received a communication from Baron von Mueller in reference to various matters of interest, accompanied by 22 packets of seeds of various economic plants, principally grasses, from Southern Asia. The seeds form an interesting collection, and will be utilised to the best advantage in the gardens. Baron von Mueller states that he is at present preparing the ninth edition of his work on " Select Plants for Industrial Culture, "

2

Published as B95.08.04.

for which he seeks information relative to the approximate height of various pines—many hundreds in all—supplied by him at various times between 1859 and 1873 to the curators of th e various reserves in this district.

3

Although the article states that 'Mr Longley will accordingly comply with his request', he not credited with any information on growth of pines. However, under Pinus insignis there is some information not in the previous edition (B91.09.01): 'The variety radiata, with branches arising only towards the summit and therefore supplying long clear trunks, has grown near Ballarat; in some instances in ordinary soil up to 100 feet in 25 years [Lowe and Laidlaw]'. Daniel Laidlaw (1821-1915) was for many years a gardener for the East Ballarat Council ('Obituary', Ballarat star, 19 March 1915, p. 40; Peter Lowe (1842-1927), was the Forester and Ranger at the forest reserve of the Ballarat Water Commission from 1893 to 1917 ('Obituary', Geelong advertiser, 20 October 1927, p. 5).

The article concludes 'A Wellingtonia pine at present in the gardens has, it may be mentioned, attained a height of about 70 feet, the trunk at the base being about 12 feet in circumference'. There is, however, no mention of this tree under Sequoia Wellingtonia in B95.08.04.

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