The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-01-09
THE LAND OF FLOWERS.
The Remarkable Floral Beauty of Sonth'
ern Australia.


South Australia is, indeed, not meta
phorically, but literally a Flowery
Land. To be aware of this fact one
has but to pay visit to the Adelaide
Botanic Gardens, of which the indefati-
gable curator is DR.. r. Schomburgk,
SGUan1 of European reputation, who is
decorated with dozen orders of Eu-
ropean knighthood. Of course, the
preponderant features of the vegetation
of the colony are in the two genera of
the Australian fora, the eucalyptus and
acacia. Naturalists have noted as re-
markable fact in the vegetation of South
Australia the absence of native eatable
fruits, of which they are none worthy
of the name except a few berry bearing
shrubs, the principal species of which
are the so called native currant and
native peach of the colonists. But
glance at the green grocers' and fruit
erers' shops in the streets of Adelaide
will at once prove to demonstration that,
if South Australia has few indigenous
fruits or edible plants, she has Won
derful capacity for growing the escu-
Tents of other regions.
In addition to the colossal cauliflow-
ers, admire the immense cabbages, the
splendid carrots, turnips, spinach and
Jerusalem artichokes; the abundant
salads, or 'green meat, and, in partic-
ular, the seemingly inexhaustible weS n
of rainbow hued and deliciously fl
rant 2 nc " 81 s. \ ne 1fI5Tv Ga
stralian colonies are, indeed, flower
and fern paradise; but am told that il
wish to see TIE floral beauties of South
Australia in their most enchanting as
pect must come hither in spring time
that is, in September, October and
November. This is only the first week
in August, and we are still in winter.
But in the spring my South Australian
friends declare | should see trees,
shrubs, perennials, ANIMALS, rivaling
of such size, richness and color and
general perfection as to be almost I'M
realizable by the imagination 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 have noticed in
che Adelaide markets. There are pine.
apples, too, but | am told that they are
grown under glass; but at the proper
time l should enjoy plums, cherries,
figs, apricots, ounces, mulberries, cur.
rants, strawberries, raspberries, wal.
nuts, filberts and chestnuts in perfec
ton. The quick, luXuriant growth and
early excessive bearing of the stone
fruit producing trees makes them short
lived. Those that the sun god loves
best die young. The grandest of the
vegetables are grown in the gulleys OF
the hills behind Adelaide. Thence are
obtained the cauliflowers, the dimension
of which so excited my astonishment,
and which are not uncommonly two
feet in diameter. The cucumbers, the
sweet and water melons and the pump.
kins also grow to an extraordinary size.
The South Australian wheat is, | am
informed, simply the very finest that is
grown in the world, beating even that
renowned cereal, the trigo of CASTLE in
Old Spain. And all this wonderful
vegetation fourishes in a most tickle
climate rendered more trying by hot
wind and drought. One statemen
which have met with concerning tn,
vegetation of South Australia ha
slightly puzzled me. 1t is to the effec
that SO very peculiar phenomenon i
that in South Australia most kinds O
trees and shrubs when dying, die from
the top downward" But is this phe
nomenon peculiar to South Australia
Surely, there is on record a grim anec
dote of one Jonathan Swift, Dean O
St. Patrick's, recOunting how, passing
a tree which was whitening downward,
he pointed to it, and said to friend
81 shall be like that tree; | shall die a
the top" On the other hand, I scarce
ly think that have ever travelled in {
country where | have seen so many
tall trees dying from the bottom up
ward as l have seen in Australia Thai
may be to great extent due to the
universally of the practice of "ring
barking" trees-a practice which, ac
cording to some authorities in forestry
the Australians will have cause ere LONG
bitterly to repent.-Nr. Sala, in Lon
don Telegram.