24 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 Jan., 1918. 



as the foliage of the scions has sufficiently developed and capable of 

 performing its necessary function. 



Plate 145 shows Rome Beauty scions grafted on Mr. Gladstone 

 stocks. Fig. 1 was a tree whose branch system was originally com- 

 menced with three main arms, while in the case of Fig. 2 four were 

 employed. 



In re-establishing branch systems on trees of the old high stemmed 

 type, instead of retaining portions of the original branch structures, as 

 illustrated in Plate 145, the stems should be cut about 12 to 15 inches 

 above the ground level. When the scions are grafted on these stocks, and 

 subsequently scientifically and regularly pruned, trees of the modern and 

 approved type are substituted for the inferior and badly constructed 

 ones. 



Plate 146 depicts a tree being reconstructed as described. The 

 original variety was ISTorthern Spy, and the scions are Jonathan. Fig. 1 

 shows the scions making strong growth and having arrived at the stage 

 when it is advantageous to remove the weak, superfluous, young leaders, 

 so as to concentrate the growth in the uniform, nicely spaced ones being 

 retained. Fig. 2 is a picture of the same tree and illustrates its condition 

 when the operation of thinning out the leaders was completed. 



{To he continued.) 



Of the plants growing in ISTew South Wales, over a thousand species 

 have been examined for hydrocyanic acid and cyanogenetic glucosides. 

 Sixty of these gave positive results Avith sodium picrate paper. These 

 include forty-four species native to New South Wales in seventeen 

 natural orders. 



Some plants, well known to be cyanophoric in Europe, when grown 

 in this State have never given any reaction, although tested in all 

 seasons. 



Only a few were found to evolve free hydrocyanic acid, naturally, 

 but all showed the presence of a glucoside and enzyme. 



When the natural enzymes in these plants were killed by boiling 

 water, the reaction to sodium picrate paper ceased; if then a few drops 

 of emulsin, prepared from sweet almonds, were added, positive reactions 

 were again obtained, showing that in all cases the glucosides present 

 in the plants were capable of being hydrolysed by emulsin. 



Of the sixty species stated, twenty are grasses, and these include 

 eleven species indigenous to this State. The Sorghum vulgare examined 

 by Dunstan and Henry was found to lose its glucoside when 14 inches 

 high, while the Australian-grown plant retains it when 4 feet high, and 

 mature. Both glucoside and enzyme slowly disappear with air-drying. 



One hundred and fifty species of grasses were tested svstematically 

 for seasonal variations, and some were found to give negative results at 

 particular seasons. Two species of grasses alone evolved free hydro- 

 cyanic acid, and only one of these is available for grazing. This is the 

 only one, except the sorghums, which has been associated with fatalities 

 among stock. 



Among the non-cyanogenetic grasses 33 species contained emulsin- 



like enzymes. 



