7-SOi Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 Dec, 1918. 



Bedfordia salicina (the blanket wood) has been quoted as yielding 

 a-jwhite ilock resembling scoured wool from the under surface of the 

 leaves, from which paper could be made. The cost of collecting such 

 material would, of course, be prohibitive, and, as it consists of resistant 

 cuticularized hairs, it would be useless for paper making. 

 ■'i Lavatera plebeja, or the Australian hollyock. — Samples of paper 

 were made many years ago in England from the fibres of this plant, 

 but it failed to compete successfully with other sources of paper mate- 

 rials. Fibres are never obtained by chopping up the material into small 

 pieces. This breaks the fibres transversely to their length, and destroys 

 their value. The methods must always be such as to give the greatest 

 possible length of fibre, and when caustic soda is used, it is not to remove 

 gummy matter, but to loosen the fibres from one another, and to enable 

 the non-fibrous material to be washed away or removed without the 

 fibres being broken or destroyed. 



Urtica (nettle). — Owing to the shortage of supplies of more useful 

 textile materials, Germany appears to have been compelled to make use 

 of the fibre of the nettle. Linen made from nettle fibres appears to be 

 very irritating to delicate skins, and with the Himalayan nettle the irri- 

 tation produced is severe. If Germany has been cultivating the nettle 

 for fibre purposes, some difficulty may be experienced in clearing the 

 fields for ordinary agriculture when supplies of cotton and similar 

 textile fibres are again available. So far as the Victorian nettles are 

 concerned, there is no satisfactory evidence to show that they are likely 

 to prove satisfactory sources of paper-making materials. 



Rushes and Sedges. — Many of these have been recommended for 

 paper making. A few have been tested in England, Europe, and 

 America. It is very doubtful whether they can compete with wood 

 pulp. The high percentage of silica is a disadvantage, and owing to 

 their peculiar habit, they could hardly be brought under cultivation. 

 The cost of collection when growing wild would be considerable, and they 

 would need to have a higher intrinsic value than they appear actually to 

 possess to make their commercial exploitation profitable. Several are 

 suitable, and are used for weaving, but the amount so used will always 

 be small. 



Xanthorrhoea australis and X. hastilis (grass trees). — The leaves of 

 these plants have been quoted as affording a very good fibre. The fibre 

 is weak and brittle, and the cost and difficulty of its extraction puts the 

 plant out of the field as a commercial source of fibre. 



Poet ccBspitosa. — The tufted meadow grass has been recommended as 

 affording a good fibre of fair quality, and making a fair paper stock. 

 Some years ago, Mr. Holden, then Chairman of the Geelong Harbor 

 Commission, who was interested in the utilization of native plants, 

 ohtained for me bulk samples of Poa ccespitosa. They were forwarded 

 to the United States for testing. The plant proved to be useless as a 

 fibre or paper plant and even for weaving the value of the material in 

 America was insufficient to pay for the cost of collection and transport 

 and leave any profit. This was disappointing, as the material appeared 

 to be promising, but this instance is sufficient to show the caution neces- 

 sary in judging the economic value of a native " fibre " from casual 

 examination without making full tests on a profit and loss basis^ 



