208 Indigenous Fibrous Plants. 



be from .€50 to j£60. This leaves a margin for all expenses 

 attendant on providing the raw material, moving it from the 

 place of its growth in Australia to the mill in England, 

 together with all charges and profits thereon, of £25 at least, 

 on the quantity required for the manufacture of one ton of 

 paper ; or, half being reckoned as waste, makes the value of 

 one ton of the plant at the mill in England, £12 10s. 



The Lepidosiperma gladiata grovi^s in great abundance on 

 the coasts of New Holland and Tasmania, and is of that cha- 

 racter that it may be cut down annually, and will spring year 

 after year from the same roots. With reference to this, Mr. 

 Tolmer says — " I cut the plant away from the bottom of the 

 stem, without injury to the root, leaving that to shoot out 

 again.-'^ And, as regards his mode of dealing with the rush 

 so cut away, he adds — " It is allowed to remain on the 

 ground ten or fifteen days, exposed to the action of the night 

 dews, and to the hot sun in the day, occasionally being 

 turned over; and by this exposure the plant will become par- 

 tially bleached.-''' 



Turning to economical considerations, it may be observed 

 that, even if these plants can l^e producc^d here at a low cost, 

 their great bulk is undoubtedly a serious drawback on their 

 exportation to Europe, but that, on the other hand, this 

 very circumstance offers an inducement — a natural protection 

 — to the manufacture of the article on the spot. I would 

 further remark that the constantly increasing number of 

 uses to which paper is applied holds out very great encou- 

 ragement for local manufacture. The invention of bitumen- 

 ized paper drainage pipes, for which a factory has been 

 erected in Melbourne, is an event which ought to lead to 

 inquiry into the value of our indigenous plants suitable for 

 paper making, inasmuch as there would be a great consump- 

 tion of any substance which would enable the drainage pipes 

 to be furnished at a reduced price. The agriculturist would 

 benefit by a new object of cultivation, for which there would 

 be ready sale; while success in production would cheapen 

 the means of drainage and irrigation — two of his greatest 

 wants, and each of nearly equal importance in this country. 



I may, in conclusion, add that Mr. Tolmer, taking advan- 

 tage of our legislation, secured a patent for this colony ; and 

 it is to be hoped that if it should ])e proved that these plants 

 are valuable, either for local use or for exportation, the toil, 

 labor, and expenditure of that gentleman may be rewarded. 



