148 On the Resources of Victoria, 



worth 6s. j which sells readily in the market ; the refuse after 

 the oil is extracted is the oil cake, at the rate of 12 to 

 15 cwt. per acre, for the feed of cattle, poultry, &c. The sun- 

 flower derives its nourishment, in great measure, from the 

 air, and exhausts the soil very little. In this case also there 

 is much cattle-feed per acre for a trifling expense. 



Both in England and France, within the last two or three 

 years, beetroot has assumed new importance, both for the 

 fattening of cattle and for the purposes of distillation. This 

 root has been always famed for its fattening properties as 

 cattle-feed. Until very lately many plans of distilling this 

 root have been adopted, in France and England ; but all of 

 them, though they produced a satisfactory amount of alcohol, 

 left a residue of little value for cattle feeding purposes, until 

 a new method was discovered by a French distiller. This 

 system is simple, and is as follows. The beetroot is cut by a 

 common root- cutter into thin slices. These are put into 

 fermenting vats, with a little acid and some yeast and 

 water, by which they are brought into a high state of fer- 

 mentation. After this the slices are placed in layers on per- 

 forated plates, in iron cylinders; and steam is introduced 

 into the bottom of the cylinders, which steam passes through 

 the perforated plates and boils the beetroot ; the vapor is then 

 received and condensed in worms, and is a spirit twenty per 

 cent, over proof, resembling whisky. In France, in the 

 year 1857, two and a half millions sterling of this spirit 

 was distilled, showing its value. But, best of all, the resi- 

 due is so useful for cattle food, that eighty per cent, of the 

 nutritive matter remains after distillation ; and this residue, 

 after distillation, is not affected by heat or cold, and may 

 be kept for an indefinite time. Some of it, after lying two 

 years in an open tank, has been eaten with avidity by sheep 

 and oxen ; and, mixed with chaff, it is their favorite food all 

 the summer. Thus, two tons of beetroot yield thirty-two 

 gallons of excellent spirit, equalling the best whisky, and 

 leaves one ton of pulp, which is equal in nutrition to 32 cwt. 

 of the original root, for cattle-feed. When it is remem- 

 bered that we import beverages yearly to the amount of two 

 and a half millions sterling, the importance of colonial dis- 

 tillation will be more fully appreciated. 



Before leaving the subject of cattle-feed, I would refer to 

 the sorghum millet, or Chinese sugar cane. Most of the 

 varieties of the sugar cane flourish in Victoria. To show the 

 hardiness of this plant, it may be mentioned that in the most 



