i8i 



Some Minor Vegetable Products. 



By J. H. ]\rAiDEN, F.L.S., Superintendent of Technical Education, &:c. 



Introdticfonj. 



The commercial depression of tlio last few years^ Avliich has caused so 

 mucli distress in this Colony, as well as in other parts of the world, 

 may prove to be, in some measure, a blessing in disguise. A hopeful 

 sign lias been tlie increased attention wliicli dwellers in country dis- 

 tricts have been giving to the products of tlie bush, and it is now more 

 than ever realised tliat some of our less abundant vegetable products 

 are wortliy of collection, preparation, or cultivation for commei-cial 

 purposes. In more prosperous times far less attention was paid to 

 such, but I trust that the exploitation of these substances will hence- 

 forth form regular industries in the Colony, and be the means of 

 rendering the existence of many a struggling selector, or other 

 industrious citizen, more tolerable. 



The principal difficulty is, of course, the finding of markets for our 

 products, but the Government is giving all the aid possilde in tin's 

 direction, while many shrewd commercial men are taking the niatter 

 in hand. The products of new countries are always difficult to dispose 

 of in the markets of the world, as manufacturers will only buy them 

 when they are satisfied that they can receiA^e adequate and continuous 

 supplies ; otherwise the routine of their operations is interfered with. 



Merchants wishing to do business in the products of the bush, should 

 bear in mind the circumstances of our country residents. The Colony 

 itself is only a century old; the western interior has only been settled 

 for about half that period. Our products of commercial value have in 

 many cases found their way into the world's markets comparatively 

 recently. The dwellers in the country districts have not, like Europeans 

 and Asiatics, been in the habit of collecting these products for many 

 generations, and thus information as to the best season for collection, 

 the best method of collection, and also high technical skill, the result of 

 long experience, perhaps handed down from father to son for many years, 

 is in Australia frequently wanting. Many of our products are not 

 collected unless they are asked for ; the merchant if he chooses to make 

 it known that he will buy a certain article at a certain price, will, as a 

 rule, find business result, but if he expects that he may obtain some 

 of our bush products in the same way that he would obtain tea, sugar, 

 and such well recognised articles of commerce, he will be mistaken. 



In some respects the merchant must look upon rural Australia as 

 he would upon the lesser known parts of Africa; he will find that ho 

 has not only to buy, but also to take steps to show our country people 

 how to collect and prepare an article for him to buy. 



