The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: Melbourne, 14th August 1872. ¶ Sir,— ¶ ¶ ¶ Having been instructed by you to submit some suggestions for the future management of the Botanic Garden and of the park land in the Government House Reser...

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Letter not found. Item is a printed sheet in the style of documents issued by Victoria's Government Printing Office; it may have been prepared as a cabinet paper. It is accompanied in the file by the map mentioned below. Extracts were read. In the Legislative Assembly debate on Supply, 3 September 1872: on the Botanic Gardens (Victoria, Parliamentary Debates ('Hansard') vol. 14, p. 1179), and on the State Forests (p. 1182). A modified and extended version of the text, dated 19 August 1872, without the map, was published as 'The Botanical Gardens', Argus, 4 September 1872, p. 7, where It was introduced by 'The following report by Mr. Hodgkinson, assistant commissioner of lands and survey, on the future management of the Botanic Garden and Domain, has been forwarded to us for publication: —‘. This version was also published in the Weekly times , 7 September 1872, p. 7. Differences between the two texts are noted below.

Melbourne, 14th August 1872.

Sir,—

Having been instructed by you to submit some suggestions for the future management of the Botanic Garden and of the park land in the Government House Reserve, I beg respectfully to state that a more definite line of demarcation than that heretofore in existence should be established between the portion of ground to be devoted to the purposes of a scientific and practical Botanic Garden, and the portion of ground to be embellished in accordance with the most approved principles of landscape gardening.

I think that the Botanic Garden should be restricted to the area comprising 78 acres 1 rood 8 perches, denoted by red tint on attached tracing.

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On 12 February 1873, the Secretary of Agriculture, A. R. Wallis, inquired of […] Robertson where the tracing might be seen. Robertson replied: ‘I do not know where the tracing referred to is. Mr. Hodgkinson had it at the time he made his report, and, I presume, he has it still. 20 copies were made of it and handed to him’ (H72/19018, unit 750, VPRS 44/P inward registered and unregistered correspondence, VA 538 Department of Crown Lands and Survey, Public Record Office, Victoria. Presumably the map filed among Casey’s papers is one of these copies.

Such area would contain a part only of the outer reserve for Botanic Garden, but the whole of the original garden, with the exception of the plot of ground containing fruit trees (which plot I propose to annex to the private grounds of the new Government House).

Within the area specified the existing frequent repetition along the borders of the paths of the same kinds of trees, and more especially of the same kinds of very common flowering shrubs, herbaceous plants, and bulbs, should be obliterated; and, in lieu thereof, arrangements should be made for displaying, near the walks, plants carefully grouped with a view to comparison of different species of each genus, and of different varieties of species.

Each specimen, the product of which is of commercial value in the form of timber, bark, seed, leaves, gum, or oil, should have at the foot thereof, on the ground, a label displaying not only the botanical name of the plant and the name of the country whereto it is indigenous, but also its economic use, the age of the specimen, and the climate and soil best adapted for its successful growth. The Botanic Garden would then afford more information than at present to persons who visit it for the purpose of acquiring information, with the view of establishing plantations in different parts of Victoria.

In thus recommending the sweeping away of a large number of the frequently occurring roses, veronicas, geraniums, carnations, and other common flowers (which, by repetition at short intervals along the borders of the walks on the south side of the lagoon, impart an appearance of great sameness to such walks), and the giving of greater prominence to the botanical grouping of plants, I believe that the adoption of such action would increase the utility of the garden, and improve its aspect.

It may be thought that, by placing varieties of any kind of tree in the same group, pleasing contrasts of foliage would be unattainable. Such an impression would, however, be erroneous; for instance, what greater contrast could be desired during autumn than that afforded by the glowing red

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tint of the inserted in newspaper version .

foliage of the American scarlet

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scarlet inserted by hand.

oak and the amber-brown tint of the decaying leaves of the Turkey oak.

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or by the pale glaucous green of cupressus Uhdeana and the bright grass-green of cupressus Goveniana added in newspaper version.

The area alluded to, and containing as already stated 78 acres 1 rood 8 perches, should, I think, remain under the exclusive control of Baron von Mueller, on the understanding that one of the most important purposes to be fulfilled by the garden is to be the affording of practical information and examples to those persons who desire to devote land in Victoria to novel objects of culture.

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The following passage is in the Hansard and newspaper versions:

Baron von Mueller should also have the control of about 10 acres of ground in a sheltered fern-tree gully in the Upper Yarra district, for the purpose of ascertaining what vegetable productions of special commercial value could be successfully grown on the humid sheltered lands in densely wooded mountain ranges in Victoria.

The remainder of the outer Botanic Garden Reserve and the Government House Reserve together contain about 200 acres; and, in my opinion, the existing plantations and walks in such area ought, in connexion with the competitive designs for laying out the grounds of the new Government House, to be judiciously modified so as to afford a good example of landscape gardening with the minimum amount of interference with such trees as Baron von Mueller has planted in such area.

I may here incidentally remark, that in public parks and gardens to which the public have unrestricted access, adherence to the best principles of landscape gardening is impracticable. For instance, in Fitzroy Gardens, through which there is an enormous traffic all day and night, rare or beautiful trees, shrubs, or flowers, which ought to occupy prominent positions in the foreground, have, through the frequent theft or damage of such choice specimens of vegetation, to be kept in the background, and give place in the foregrounds to coarse common kind of trees and shrubs.

If the portion of the land attached to the new Government House not required to be kept strictly private for a flower garden, croquet or archery ground, carriage stand,

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court, added in newspaper version .

and yards, be allowed to be open to the public during a portion only of each day, and subject to greater restrictions than have been imposed on frequenters of the Melbourne public parks and gardens on the north side of the Yarra, an opportunity will be afforded for more strict compliance with the true principles of landscape gardening than has been found possible in gardens surrounded by a dense population, and to which access at all hours of the day and night is afforded.

I beg therefore to recommend that the park land attached to the Government House Reserve, and the portion of the outer Botanic Garden Reserve not included in area denoted by red tint on attached tracing, be placed under the management of an energetic and trustworthy practical man of proved taste in landscape gardening, and who could hold his appointment in connection with the agricultural branch of the department of Lands and Survey.

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The remainder of this paragraph did not appear in the newspaper version.

The gardeners and boys now employed in connection with the Botanic Garden division would then have to be distributed as follows:— The more experienced gardeners, and one-half of the boys would have to remain in the portion of ground retained for the Botanic Garden, and to be under the exclusive control of Baron von Mueller, and the other men and boys would have to work under the superintendent of the park lands around the new Government House.

With regard to Mr. Ferguson,

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William Ferguson.

I think that his services could be most advantageously utilized by the devotion of the major portion of his time to the rearing, in the cheap and efficient manner practised in large state establishments on the continent of Europe, large quantities of useful timber trees of kinds that have been found by experience to thrive well in Victoria. Such young trees could be then distributed by thousands to such local forest boards or public bodies as would undertake to plant such trees and foster their subsequent growth, in accordance with a brief printed code of practical instructions for arboriculture in Victoria, in varying soils and climate, to be promulgated under the authority of the Minister for Agriculture. Mr. Ferguson could, from time to time, visit plantations so established on portions of forest reserves denuded of indigenous vegetation, local parks, &c., and advise the local managers of such reserves with regard to such plantations.

In my humble opinion, the best location for the proposed arboreal nursery and for Mr. Ferguson's residence would be the land contiguous to the Macedon Railway Station, and comprising the sheet of water created some years ago by the formation of a dam by the Railway department.

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In the newspaper version the following text was included, but was not quoted in Parliament:

'Such nursery, for the exclusive propagation of useful timber trees, would obviously not interfere materially with the business of nurserymen, which consists mainly in the sale of ornamental trees and shrubs, fruit trees, and flowering plants. It would, in my opinion, be expedient that the further distribution from the Botanical-garden of such ornamental plants as can now be obtained at cheap rates from nurserymen be discontinued, and that no distribution of any kind of plants therefrom should be made unless under the authority of the Minister of Agriculture.

The suggested separate control of the Botanical garden, and of the adjacent grounds contiguous to the new Government-house, would necessarily involve a re-arrangement of the votes for Baron von Mueller's establishment. The area of garden ground proposed to be under his exclusive control is 62a. 3r. 13p., or less than one-third of the area of the outer grounds alluded to. But, in the smaller area, more skilled labour is required for management of the conservatories and laboratory; consequently, in my opinion, one-half of the vote of £2,320 for gardeners and other Workmen should be assigned to such area, and the remaining half to the outer grounds. Half the votes for stores, forage for cart-horse, rewards to orphan boys, and cartage of street manure, should also be assigned to each area; but the votes for publishing work on plants, test plantations in ranges, books and instruments, should remain attached to Baron von Mueller's establishment.

In subdivision 12 of division 56, in the estimates of the department under the hon. the Commissioner of Public Works, the large sum of £1,500 is provided for buildings, fences, and other works for the Botanical-garden and adjacent reserves. This sum was intended by Baron von Mueller to provide for — additions to his museum building at a cost of £350; conservatories and other buildings, £425; painting and repairs, £125; tank £300, garden seats £150. With due deference to Baron von Mueller, I believe that greater public benefit would be attained if, in lieu of the expenditure of the vote on such objects, the greater portion of it be used, during the ensuing summer, for the work necessary for the thorough reclamation and improvement, in accordance with the best principles of landscape gardening, of the swampy ground between the Yarra and the Government-house hill (and to the details for which work I have directed the special attention of the competitors for the premium for the best design for laying out the grounds around the Government-house and the contiguous park land). By such work a tract of ground now deleterious to health, as well as unsightly, could be speedily rendered the most beautiful feature in the metropolitan gardens and parks.'

I have the honour to be,

Sir, your most obedient servant,

Clement Hodgkinson ,

Assistant Commissioner of Lands and Survey.

The hon. the Commissioner of Lands and Survey,

&c., &c., &c.

The correspondence of

Ferdinand von Mueller

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