10 Oct., 1918.] Indigenous Fibrous Plants of Victoria. 609 



perennial grass, growing plentifully along the borders of banks of 

 streams, where it tends to bind the earth with its extensive creeping 

 root-stocks. This rush was formerly much availed of by the natives 

 of Victoria for making bags or baskets. 



Tetrarrhena juncea, R. Br., ""Wire Grass"; order, Gramineje; 

 distribution, Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania. The Wire 

 Grass is a climbing plant often growing to a height of 15 feet or more 

 among the oranches of shrubs and small trees in the uplands of the 

 State. It furnishes a pulp suitable for the manufacture of packing and 

 writing paper. 



Dichelachne crinlta , Hook, f., "Long-hair Plume Grass"; order, 

 Gramineae; distribution, Victoria, New Sdrth Wales, South Australia, 

 Tasmania,^ Queensland and "Western Australia. The Long-hair Plume 

 Grass is widely diffused over extra tropical Australia, and occurs also in 

 New Zealand. This grass yields material for a tenacious paper, espe- 

 cially fit to be used for a thin packing or wrapping paper. 



Stipa semiharbata, R. Br., " FiBRors Spear Grass"; order, 

 Gramineae; distribution, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, 

 Tasmania, Queensland, and Western Australia. The Fibrous Spear 

 Grass is to be found almost everywhere throughout south-eastern Aus- 

 tralia and Tasmania. It produces material for substantial paper, bi.t 

 less than that of the preceding kind. 



Poa caespifosa, G. Forster, "Tufted Meadow Grass"; order, 

 Gramineae; distribution, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, 

 Tasmania, Queensland, and Western Australia. The Tufted Meadow 

 Grass is a coarse perennial, and grows in large tussocks on moist flats 

 and swampy lands. It affords a good fibre of fair quality, and makes 

 an excellent paper stock. 



The foregoing list is, of course, by no means complete. My object is 

 simply to direct attention to a portion of our flora having a commercial 

 value, in order that those who are interested in the manufacture of a 

 few articles, for which we now look to overseas countries, may know the 

 plant which will furnish the chief constituents. No doubt from many 

 other Australian plants materials for paper making could be obtained, 

 and the suitability of several of the local grasses and seaweeds for the 

 weaving of rope, &c., was tested longr since by our aborigines. 



At the traetof ploughing competition for a shield presented by the 

 Food Production Department in England, Herefordshire was the winning 

 county in March, with a total of 154^ acres ploughed. The winning 

 team- from 24th August to 5th April ploughed 662 acres, besides doing 

 threshing and other work. Their average for period of thirty-one weeks, 

 including stoppages through wet weather, works out at 21^ acres per 

 week. During March forty tractors in Herefordshire ploughed 

 2,584 acres. 

 15043.— 2 



