5S6 Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. [July 2, 1908. 



it iiiav succeed near tlie sea. 'Viw cultivation of AacLepias semilunata is 

 simple: sow as you would wlicat or oats, after the ian<l has been liarrowed ; 

 seed thickly so as to })roduce stems 5 feet to G fec^t long. It will grow on 

 stonv land, on the flat or hill-sides, and requires no irrigation, and will with- 

 stand drought with impunity. With clieap freight from >Sydney to London, 

 let alone local market, this iiV)i-e may pi-ove t« he a desirable subsidiary 

 industry for New 8oulh \\ ales. The writer, who is an Australian, thinks 

 that the seed must at some time have Ix'cn introijuced into Australia by the 

 late Baron von Mueller, otherwise it is a mystery how ha saw it at Coolgardie. 

 The writer trusts that through the columns of the AgricuUural Gazette 

 more will be heard from tests in New South Wales. 



Tlie sam})lt^ of fibre forwarded l»y Mi-. ^\ lute to the Hon. the Ministiu' lor 

 Agriculture has been submitted to Messrs. Forsyth & Co.. rope manufacturers, 

 Sydney, who i-ejiort as follows : — 



The fibre is equal to Manilla, and is valued at £."?5 \w.v ton. The length and colour are 

 good. They would give £.S5 per ton fur it, but the fibre must not be less than 4 feet long. 

 The quantity submitted was too small to maUe a test. 



The seed forwarded at the same time has been distributed among the 

 following experiment farms: — Hawkesbury Agricultui'al College, Wagga, 

 Bathurst, Wollongbar, Belindigarbar (Grafton), Moree, and Pera Bore, for 

 planting in the spring. 



An endeavour will be made to obtain, by this means, sufficient fibre for a 

 thorough test by the firm mentioiu-fl. 



Mr. White, in his letter accompanying the seeds and fibre, emphasises the 

 fact that the price quoted him from London was for the bast and not for the 

 silk cotton which surrounds the seeds, very like our wild cotton. The seed 

 evidently belongs to a plant of the geims Asclepia.-i, and is closely allied to 

 som3 of our native plants, liut in all the botanical litertiture at oui' coinniand 

 there is no mention of a spcicies seiniJiinita. [Further imiuiry will !«! 

 made. — Ed.] 



The Pipe Calabash Gourd. 



Some time ago small (piantities of the Pipe calabash seeds were sent to this 

 State from Soutli Africa, but it is not known by wh(mi these sup])lies were 

 obtained. The Department of Agriculture has received an iiujuiry from a 

 buyer for a quantity of the gourds, and would be glad to get information 

 as to the result of their trial fi'om any persons who obtained and planted 

 the seeds. 



