15 



great collection of cacti that had been gathered from the deserts, and housed 

 in the Department's hot-house. He pointed out what a wonderful example 

 of evolution was seen in the different kinds of spiny growths produced by 

 the cactus plants, to protect themselves from their many enemies in a desert 

 where they are the only edible thing for the wandering animals. He rather 

 discredits a spineless cactus, such as the Californians claim has been pro- 

 duced by Luther Burbank, for, he says, without its spines a cactus could not 

 exist. He was greatly interested in the flora of the interior of Australia 

 and in my account of our drought-resisting forage scrub trees, and the way 

 in which the introduced cacti had spread over the land, for in Mexico and 

 America they never seem to get away from their home in the poor desert 

 lands where nothing else will grow. He is carrying out some experiments 

 in planting date-palms in Colorado, and thinks that we should be able to 

 grow dates at a profit round the irrigation bores in the interior. 



Mr. Dewey showed me samples of the many fibre plants that have been 

 experimented with in the United States, and said from their experience 

 with the Bombay aloe (Aryave canfula), it might be grown at a profit in 

 Australia. He said that the true Yucatan- sisal, or hemp plant, had never 

 reached either Honolulu or Queensland. 



Mr. Collins, who has charge of the cotton section, informed me that sixty 

 millions of dollars worth of cotton is grown in the United States, of which 

 only three to four millions is exported, and about ten millions' worth 

 of Egyptian cotton is imported in its place ; but I propose to deal with the 

 Cotton States later on. 



Maize (corn) is another plant which forms an immense food staple all 

 over the States, and the plant breeders are always at work improving the 

 old or creating new varieties. Some are to grow rapidly in dry climate?. 

 They are breeding forms found in Mexico, with very little foliage and small 

 cobs, but which will produce a crop in three months ; others from South 

 America, on the other hand, take nearly a y*ar to mature a crop. The 

 quantity of maize grown in the Central States is something enormous ; after 

 coming through the western plains there are hundreds of miles of maize 

 fields right up to Chicago. 



The germination of seeds is carried out in this Plant Industry Division. 

 The seeds being tested are first counted, and sent to the officer in charge of 

 the laboratory, where various methods are used with different s^eds. There 

 were thousands of little grass seeds on the surface of damp blotting-paper, 

 others under saturated cloths, or between sheets of thick blotting-paper. 

 These are placed in ovens of varying temperatures, and every packet checked 

 and tabulated. Then they have a staff of ladies, who examine all samples of 

 seeds sent in by people who have purchased them, and want to know if they 

 are up to standard. Each sample is microscopically examined, the seed true 

 to name placed in one packet, the foreign seeds, if any, in a second packet, 

 and the inert matter, dirt, &c., in a third package. To verify their determi- 

 nation they have a reference collection of all the commercial seeds, seeds of 

 weeds, <kc., in small tubes. 



In another branch all drugs and the products of plants are examined, and 

 particularly those plants reputed to be poisonous to stock and man. 



The Bureau of Animal Industry takes up the duties of our Stock Branch, 

 and also covers a number of other branches. Dr. Mueller took me round the 

 laboratories and showed me the methods of preparing preparations for 

 injection fjr blackleg, malleen for glanders, and tuberculin for cattle. 

 Great quantities of these are made up and sent to the stock-owners. 



