312 Transactions. —Botany. 



spreading branches. The stems of young plants are mottled 

 with purple. 



In the earlier stages of development it is readily eaten by 

 cattle. Mr. Gordon, the Chief Inspector of Stock for Queens- 

 land, states that its action is to induce paralysis of the heart, 

 causing death without struggle, and apparently without pain. 

 At Mr. Gordon's suggestion. Dr. Bancroft, of Brisbane, under- 

 took experiments which conclusively proved the poisonous 

 nature of the weed. It was introduced into Queensland with 

 cotton from the Southern States of America. 



Each plant produces numerous burrs, which, in sheep 

 country, would, from their nature, cause enormous loss to the 

 wool-grower, by injuring the fibre of his chief product. 



The fact of so many injurious plants being found in the 

 ballast of a single ship naturally raises the question, What is 

 the best means of dealing with such rubbish ? 



I am informed that one Harbour Board has decided all 

 ballast except rock shall be taken out to sea by lighters and 

 thrown overboard. 



It has been urged in support of this plan that the salt 

 water will rob the seeds of their vitality ; but we know that 

 many seeds, especially those with hard covering, retain their 

 vitality after having been carried enormous distances by 

 ocean-currents, so that throwing ballast into the sea, a few 

 miles at most from land, is only providing for the wholesale 

 distribution of noxious weeds all along the coast. 



Failing means of calcining, or chemically treating all 

 ballast so as to destroy the plant life therein contained, I 

 would suggest that each Harbour Board set aside a section of 

 groimd, securely fenced, that all ballast be deposited there, 

 and its removal from the depot allowed only for ballasting 

 vessels, or for reclamation behind w'ell-built retaining-walls, 

 the reason for this last being that, if used for reclamation 

 under any other conditions, the tide would distribute seeds 

 and other light substances far and wide. 



With regard to the ballast depot, it will be evident that a 

 very small amount of attention would prevent the weeds grow- 

 ing in such an enclosure from bearing seed, and thus a very 

 considerable source of danger be removed. 



It may perhaps be some consolation to state that I find 

 our New Zealand slugs are extremely fond of X. strumari^im ; 

 so much so, in fact, that, though I carefully transplanted at 

 different times no less than nine plants from the ballast-heap 

 to my garden, made a special enclosure, and took every care 

 to protect the young plants and to guard against the spread of 

 the burrs when they should be formed, I was yet unable to 

 rear a single specimen ; the slugs had evidently no sympathy 

 with scientific experiments, or with my desire to grow plants 



