56 PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS SECTION B. 



quite feasible that with pre-war prices it might be a profitable 

 proposition to ctihivate stramonium. Moreover, bv cultivation 

 the yield might be considerably raised. The percentage of sugar 

 in the sugar beet, for example, has, by careful selection and cul- 

 tivation, been raised from 5 to between 16 and 20 per cent. 

 Other European medicinal plants, the dandelion and the fox- 

 glove, grow here without recjuiring any particular care, and 

 might be turned to profit. There are experiment stations and 

 agricultural schools and colleges distributed over the whole of 

 the country, and it would surely be a small matter to set aside 

 small plots on each for the experimental cultivation of some of 

 these medicinal herbs if a jjreliminary examinati(Mi seems to 

 hold out prospects of financial success. With regard to the two 

 indigenous plants or plant products which have become officinal, 

 aloes and Ijuchu, ste])s are desirable to improve the methods of 

 extraction and treatment. Aloe extract is still largely prepared 

 by the primitive method originally employed by the natives, with 

 the result that the quality is not uniform. With regard to Inichu 

 leaves also, more care is required in collecting, grading, and 

 packing'. Attempts have been made by shippers to mix the 

 medicinally valueless buchu substitute Emplcurum scrratultiin 

 with true buchu (Barosma befuliiia. B. scrrafifolia and B. 

 crenulata), with the result that the prices were prejudicially 

 affected, and our business prestige on the overseas market was 

 damaged. Carelessness in curing and packing, with the resul- 

 tant loss O'f volatile oil, leads to the same results. The question 

 of compulsory grading before shipping is an almost insignificant 

 matter as far as medicinal plants are concerned, btrt with regard 

 to other ex])orts it is a matter of considerable im])ortance, and 

 it is for that reason that I ctinsider myself justified in laying 

 stress on it here. Many of our products fetch lower prices on 

 the world's markets than do those from other Dominions, on 

 accotmt of the lack of uniformity of quality. A few extracts 

 from the annual report of the Trades Commissioner will serve 

 to substantiate my statement. Commenting on the quality and 

 condition of buchu, he says: " In 1910 large quantities of spur- 

 ious leaves were shipi>ed as buchu." " Dealers here allege that 

 the collectors of the leaves purposely include the stems and 

 woody parts."* And again with reference to wattle bark : " In 

 a ifew instances dealers complain of the want of knowledge of 

 some shippers m grading, want of care in protecting the bark 

 from the rain and the weather previous to shipment, with the 

 result that some of the bark arrived here in a wet and deterior- 

 ated condition. "t 



He inserts a similar adverse criticism on the qualitx- of 

 mohair. To show the results achieved by careful grading, I 

 quote the following remarks from his report : " South African 

 maize has established a high reputation because of its good 



* Annual Report of the Trade Coniniissioner for the year ending 

 Dec<Mnher 31, 191 T, p. 42. 

 t Loc. cit., p. 32. 



