Ferdinand von Mueller

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Date stamped: Royal Gardens Kew 16 Apr 94.

11/3/94.

Let me thank you for your kind letter, dear Dr Dyer,

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Letter not found.

and all the friendly wishes which it contains for me and which I sincerely reciprocate. As regards notes on Marram-Grass all I can say, is, that the only communication to the public press thereon, is the one which was appeared in the Melbourne weekly journal "Leader" and emanated from Mr Avery of Port Fairy.

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Leader , 2 December 1893, p. 8. The article, headed ‘Marram grass. —

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Arenaria’, includes two photographs, and is introduced as follows:

The Marram grass, the seed of which was first introduced into the Colony of Victoria by the Government botanist, Baron von Mueller, in 1883 (and by him entrusted to the Borough Council of Port Fairy for experiment on the barren shifting sand hummocks fronting the coastline of Port Fairy), has been proved to be the most effective sand stay ever planted. Practical evidence of its value can be seen in the 50 miles of sandhills extending between Warrnambool and Port Fairy, now reclaimed by the Marram plantations, sown under the direction of Mr. S. Avery, the park ranger.

His account of the successes with this grass at the coast near him, was utilized by our friend Dr Masters for an article in the Gardeners Chronicle,

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Gardeners’ chronicle , 16 December 1893, p. 750. The article is introduced by:

Our excellent correspondent, Baron Ferdinand von Mueller, whose energy has apparently no bounds, has introduced the seeds of the Marram grass into Victoria, with results which are shown in the following extract, and in the engravings taken from photographs, for which we are indebted to him (figs. 113 and 111, p. 745):

and allusion to this Victorian concern was also made in a recent number of the Society of Arts.

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? Journal of the Society of Arts, vol. 42, 19 January 1894, pp. 140–41.

The photograms in the Leader and in the Chronicle are not the same, but pictures taken at different places. I have searched for a copy of the Leader containing this record of the

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, but it seems I have not left one of the few numbers purchased at the time. If I can get still one, I will send it to you.

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Folio 236 contains a cutting from the Agricultural journal of the Cape Colony Department of Agriculture, 26 July 1894, headed ‘Sand-Stay Grasses’, which begins: 'The subjoined report extracted from the Australian Leader of 2nd December 1893, on Marram grass grown at Port Fairy, opens a question of vital importance to the sandy districts of the Colony.'.

Folios 239-43 have cuttings from the Journal of horticulture and cottage gardener (London), 14 September 1893, p. 245; Gardeners’ chronicle (the item noted above); and Port Elizabeth telegraph (South Africa), 1 March 1894.