so ^rE MINOR VEGETABLE PRODUCTS. 18^ 



If a man were to set out Avitli the deliberate intention of collecting 

 wattle-gum, what with its capricious exudation, and the uncertainty 

 of an odd shower washing it from the trees, he might find his under- 

 taking unprofitable; but in this, as in the collection of other of our 

 minor bush products, children and others should be apprised of tlie 

 value of these gums, and whenever an opportunity presents itself 

 of collecting them it should not be lost. If a ])ermaiient resident of a 

 district be on the lookout for such a product, depend upon it, not 

 much will be lost in the course of a year. If kept dry and clean it 

 does not deteriorate on keeping, and it can bo accumulated until a 

 convenient opportunity of disposing of it presents itself. In s]-)ite of 

 the various gum substitutes, there '.v^ill always be a demand for wattle- 

 gum, jDarticularly fur the finer sorts. 



Grass-tree Gum. 



This "gum," or, to speak more correctly, "resin," is obtained in 

 large quantities from the stems and around the roots of the so-called 

 ''grass-trees," whose botanical name is XanthorrJiKa. "We have 

 several species, which vaiy a good deal in height ; they are usually 

 indicative of poor soil. One species yields a yellow gum, — the others 

 a gum of a red colour. It is the yellow kind that is the more highly 

 prized. The demand for it fluctuates. The monthly circular of one 

 of our best Sydney firms quotes the value this month (Deceniber, 

 1895) at from £11 to £20 per ton. 



This article has been used in the making of an inferior French 

 polish, as an ingredient in waxes, fumigating pastilles, Arc, and its 

 use as an explosive has been patented. I do not doubt that additional 

 uses will be found for grass-tree gum, and that the demand for it will 

 be more steady than it has been of late years. 



In gum-collecting the articles required are an axe, a flail, a coarse 

 sieve, and a sheet. The stems of the grass-trees are chopped down, 

 broken up into. convenient jiieces, and allowed to fall into the sheet. 

 A stout stick or flail completes the work of disintegration. The 

 substance is then passed through the sieve, the ligneous portions of 

 the grass-tree for the most part failing to pass through its meshes. 

 A gentle breeze. is considered sufiicient to winnow what has passed 

 through the sieve, and render it ready for the market, though it 

 often comes to Sydney without having been subjected to any win- 

 nowing process. Comparatively large pieces of grass-tree gum arc 

 also often found near the roots of grass-trees, or where grass-trees 

 once stood, having beeu melted and caused to flow into the ground 

 by the bush fires. 



Grass-trees are very abundant in Australia, and a considerable 

 quantity of the ''gum" would be available with any reasonable 

 inducement, sufficient for the men to earn a few shillings a day 

 collecting it. 



A us-traliaii Sandarach. 



The clear resin of our cypress pines {Callitrh or Firneln) is a 

 perfect substitute for the sandarach of commerce, used in varnish- 

 making and for other purposes. What the actual demand for this resin 



