RAW MATERIALS PAPER 239 



and conversion of our native timber. Now that the 

 problem has been defined, technologists may be relied 

 on to devise a process by means of which sawdust 

 may be ground into a form thoroughly suitable for 

 the purpose of a paper ingredient. 



In casting about for home-grown fibre plants to 

 supplement existing sources, a suitable quality of 

 fibre is only one of several conditions that have to 

 be satisfied. 



The plant must also be abundant and readily har- 

 vested; preferably it should grow in close pure stands, 

 ripe for the scythe or mechanical harvester. More- 

 over, the material must be easy to clean, for the 

 inclusion of dirt in the pulp is obviously a serious 

 defect in a paper-making material. 



Several indigenous plants meet these requirements 

 in part, and deserve serious consideration. 



The pulping of timber in our country is out of 

 the question owing to the scantiness of the supply. 

 Whether the matter will become a serious proposition 

 when our system of forestry is reformed is for a future 

 generation to decide. 



Again, the employment of the straw of wheat and 

 other cereals is no doubt attractive, for this material 

 comes into existence in order that there may be grain, 

 to which it stands in the relation of a by-product. 

 Moreover, it grows in pure stands, has to be reaped, 

 and is as clean as any vegetable product well can be. 

 The objection to the use of straw is twofold. There 

 is the minor objection that its use presents certain 

 technical difficulties, which, with application, could 

 probably be overcome. The main objection is more 

 fundamental. Straw is so valuable on the farm itself 

 in our present system of farming that it is open to 

 question whether the unlimited use of straw is ad- 

 visable in the interests of agriculture itself. How- 



