Ferdinand von Mueller

1

MS annotation by W. Odgers, 28 December 1870: 'The enclosed letter is referred by direction of the Chief Secretary for the consideration of the Board on the Botanic Gardens'.

Richmond Park

2

Melbourne.

Decr. 7th 1870

The Honorable

The Chief Secretary

Sir James McCulloch

Sir

At a time when the future of our public gardens & reserves must be a matter of concern to the Government I do myself the honor of suggesting a very simple arrangement whereby their management would be greatly improved and the Government have some guarantee for their efficient working and benefical progress.

Any person visiting our chief gardens at the present time must leave them with a sense of profound disappointment and if he should examine closely into their management he must experience a feeling of amazement at the evident disorganisation (I had almost said demoralization) of the whole establishment. Though some improvement during the last few months is apparent in the Gardens, confusion & disorder are but mild terms to describe the utter absence of unity of purpose & design in the conflicting sections into which the management is split up.

The plan I have the honor to suggest for the conduct of the Gardens is as follows; and in suggesting it I am guided by many years' experience of the admirable working of a system in connection with the Gardens of the Horticultural Society Richmond Park & from which I borrow its chief features. The Gardens here named present a model of good management whether for their highly instructive lessons in decorative planting or for the more durable results in a scientific & utilitarian point of view. The Director of these Gardens has the control of the establishment, but under the superintendence of a committee of five gentlemen who meet once a month to receive his Report & to inspect the Gardens. This report is a record of the work done; of the donations received or given in the shape of plants &c; & an account of all projected works or alterations.

The Committee acts as Board of Advice on all extensive works & upon all matters of an experimental character. The Report of this Committee is laid before the General Council of the Society at its regular monthly meetings & the Council submits its report annually to the members.

I take the liberty of suggesting that there may be found in the Melbourne district half a dozen Gentlemen with the requisite taste & knowledge of Horticultural matters & possessing sufficient public spirit to devote an afternoon monthly at the request of the Government to the duties which would devolve upon them as a Board of Visitors of the Botanical Gardens . Both the present Government Botanist, & the superintendent should cheerfully welcome such assistance. I believe a Board such as this would greatly stimulate to exertion every person employed in the establishment for it would be known that month by month careful note was taken of the progress of the gardens; and further it would be known that every improvement was under the view of those able to appreciate fully each feature of the Gardens. But in addition to this general subject of mere garden management the Board should require of the Government Botanist a monthly or quarterly report from his department — showing what is being accomplished in the interests of science & detailing plans as to the future. The Board might recommend in the interests of the public the greater diffusion of useful results arrived at in his department, but which at present are lost to the community at all.

I am satisfied that if some such plan as that here faintly sketched out were adopted the Botanical Gardens would rapidly become what the Government ought to demand at the hands of their management — a true example of modern Horticulture.

P.S. I shall be happy to afford the fullest information as to the details of the System of Management in operation at the Horticulture Gardens should you desire such.