Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-12-24
LAND OF FLOWERS.
arEabIe Beauty of So nth Aus
HEM Iraita.

remarkable Bea Beauty Oh so u'h aus
The London Telegraph IN recent
;ssne saws: South Australia is, indeed,
"etaphorically, but literally q How
Nv land. 10 be aware OF that fact
~ has but 10 pay visit 10 the AIDE
i pa botanic Gardens, of which the
!iaaJefatigable curator is Dr. Schom
L,,rok a eavant of European reput9-
t Go who is decorated with dozen
orders of European knighthood. OF
Course. the preponderant features OF
.be veeetation of the colony are in
he two GENERA of the Australian flora
he eucalyptus and acacia. Natural
isis have noted as a remarkable fact
in the vegetation of South Austral-
10 the absence of native eatable fruits,
If which there are none worthy of the
name. except a few berry bearing
sbrnbs. the species of which are the
so-called native currant and native
neach of the colonists. But glance
a. the green-groers' and fruiters'
shops in the streets oil Adelaide will
al once prove the demonstration that,
# South Australia has few indigen-
ous fruits or edible plants, she has a
wonderful capacity for growing the
esculents OF other regions.
In addition TO the colossal cauli-
flowers, admire the immense cat-
haoes. the splendid carrots, turnips,
spiniach and Jerusalem artichokes;
the abundant salads or green meat"
and III this particular the seemingly
inexhaustable wealth of rainbow-hue
and deliciously fragrant flowers. The
whole of the Australian colonies are,
indeed a flower, and fern paradise;
but | am told that if wish to see the
floral beauties of South Australia in
their most enchating aspect ! must
come hither in Spring time. This is
only the first week in August, and we
are still in Winter. But in Spring
time my South Australian friends en-
Enthusiastically declare / should see
trees, shrubs, perennials, ANIMALS.
rivaling each other in their flowers
which are of such size, richness and
color and general perfection as
TO be almost unre& liZable by the
tagination of a Northern gardener.
As regards fruit, apples, pears and the
strange looking and more strangely
tasting passion" fruit are the most
prominent of the gifts of Pomona that
i have noticed in the Adelaide mar
kets. There are pineapples, too, but |
am told they are grown under glass;
but at the proper season should en-
Joy plums, cherries, figs, apricots,
ounces, mulberries, strawberries, cur
rants, raspberries, walnuts, 6lberts,
and chestnuts in perfection. The
quick, luxuriant growth and early ex-
cessve bearing OF the stone-fruit pro
dHcing trees, makes them short lived.
Those that the sun-gCd loves best die
young. The erandest of the vege-
tables are grown in the gullies of the
hills behind Adelaide. Thence are
obtained the caulflowers, the dimen.
sions of which so excited my astonish-
meut and which are not uncommon
ly two feet in diameter. The cucDm-
bers, the sweet watermelOns and the
pumpkins also grow to an extraordl-
nary size.
The South Australian wheat is, |
am informed, simply the finest that is
EIOWn III VIC MOliAts NNCh VIC
renowned cereal, the trio of CASTLE in
Old Spain. And all the wondrous
vegetation hourishes ia a most fick lie
climate, rendered more trying by hot
wind and drouth. One statement
which have met with concerning the
vegetation of South Australia has
slightly puzzled me. II is to the effect
that a very peculiar phenomenon is
that in South Australia most kinds of
trees and shrubs, when dying die Fl ON
the top downward But is this pben-
Omenon peculiar to South Australia
Surely, there is on record grim an
ecdote of one of Jonathan Swift, Dean
of ST. PaIick's, recountlng how, pass
ing a tree which was whitening down
ward, he pointed to 1t, and said to a
friend; II shall be like that tree; l
shall die at the top" On the other
hand, | scarcely think that / have
ever travelled IN q country where l
have seen so many tall trees dying
from the bottom upward asI have seen
IN Australia. That may be 10 great
extent due 10 the universally Of the
prachce of ring barking" trees, a
practice which, according TO some
authorities ia forestry, the Australians
will have cause ere long bitterly to
repent.