144 PROCEEDINGS OP SECTION B. 



dei'ived from maize- Others, again, united tlie rounded and polygonal 

 forms in the same granule. On most of the granules the hilum was 

 situated at the apex of the rounded portion of the truncated form, 

 and in some instances was very conspicuous, giving one the impression 

 of an air-bubble or of some substance different in refraction from 

 starch. Other granules had a dark spot, or a slit sometimes crossed, 

 on the hilum. Concentric rings, formed round the hilum, were very 

 distinct, though some of the cells were aj)parently devoid of sti-ucture. 

 Polarised light gave the cross very distinctly on all the granules. In 

 the light field the cross showed faintly. The starch appeared to be 

 more translucent than usual. The sizes of the cells varied from '005 

 mjn. to '05 mm. ('0002 inch to '002 inch) in diameter, the greater 

 number being in the direction of the larger dimension. 



Since writing the above I have received from the same Eurimba 

 district another piece of palm wood. This was cut in October from a 

 tree 60 feet in height over all, at a point 50 feet from the ground. 

 This piece was much richer in starch than that previously examined, 

 and contained less water (50 per cent.). The starch from this piece bore 

 strong general resemblances to both tapioca and sago. (Sago, by the 

 way, seems to be in process of replacement by tapioca, in Sydney, and 

 what is generally sold as sago is really not such.) 



A writer on palms, probably without any special knowledge of 

 those of Australia, has stated that there is no species which is not 

 capable of being applied to some use. Now, this remark is probably 

 true also in respect of our Australian species, though we have yet to 

 learn the value of these beautiful but despised members of our forestry. 

 We may be fortunate in some measui'e, perhaps, if we acquire this 

 knowledge before ignorance and vandalism have made it useless. I 

 am speaking here generally, and do not mean to infer that this 

 particular finding of starch is of any i-eal value, but I think I might 

 remark in this connection that we, as a people, do not seem to wish to 

 know the true value of our inheritance, in the vegetable world at 

 least. 



Such slight excursion into the subject as this simply indi- 

 cates the desirability of making our indigenous vegetation a subject 

 for serious and systematic research. Mr. J. H. Maiden, who was the 

 President of our chemical section when this Association last met in 

 Brisbane, eloquently struck the chord of which this is but an echo. If 

 we except the valuable work on the Eucalypts by Mr. Smith, of the 

 Sydney Technical College, but little or nothing has been done during 

 the long years that have intei-\'ened. Those of us who have the will 

 have seldom the opportunity, being compelled by the ever-increasing 

 duties of office, or business, to spend our energies in matters of routine. 

 The great value of such an Association as this is, that it brings these 

 matters into pi'ominence and sets the seed which may, like the palms 

 oi other lands, one day grow and flourish for the material benefit of 

 mankind. 



Attached is a micro-phot ogi-aph of starch on portion of slide from 

 specimen first examined, for which I am indebted to Mr. Kobert Grant, 



