216 ON THE HABIT AND USE OF NARDOO, 



Windorah, on the Cooper, is the nearest place to Brisbane that 

 I saw it growing ; roots which I brought from there grew into 

 vigorous plants outside, but the continuous rain in February last 

 proved too much and they died, only one ]30t, which was under 

 cover, surviving. In a day one could gather about a hundred- 

 weight of the dried roots with involucres attached, from which 

 perhaps forty pounds of involucres could be picked ; ten pounds 

 might easily enough be obtained daily by one person, which 

 amount would be sufficient for a whole camp of blacks, Nardoo 

 is not a wholesome substance eaten alone, but in addition to other 

 food is a useful adjunct. 



At Annandale I had the opportunity to witness the gins 

 preparing Nardoo damper. The involucres, which are very hard, 

 are pounded between two stones ; a handful of them is held in 

 the left hand and fed to a stone on the ground, a few grains being 

 allowed to drop from the hand by separating, abducting the little 

 finger, a smart blow being struck with a stone in the right hand, 

 which eSectually pulverises every grain at once ; it is surprising 

 with what rapidity they can do this work. The flour is mixed 

 with water, kneaded to a dough, and baked in the ashes. The 

 civilised blacks, who were supplied with wheaten flour from the 

 station, were not too proud to make and eat Nardoo damper. 



To ascertain if floating water-wesds retard evaporation, as has 

 been stated, the following observations and experiments were 

 made. Fresh-water plants, with a few exceptions, will not grow 

 in water deeper than five feet ; some few, such as Nymphcea and 

 Nelumhium, grow in ten feet, and under very favourable condi- 

 tions in deeper water, but fifteen feet might be taken as the 

 absolute limit that any fresh-water plant, rooting at the bottom, 

 will grow. These large water-lilies require shallow water wherein 

 to establish themselves and extend gradually to deeper water. It 

 would be hard to start them in deep water from the first. 



