518 THE NUTRITIVE VALUE OF CERTAIN AUSTRALIAN 



A sample of Andropogon intermedius from Hawkesbury gave off a fruity 

 odour when being cut up for analysis. This odour, which partly disappeared 

 after the fine material had been exposed to the air for some time, was only noticed 

 in the stems and leaves of the plant, the seeds being apparently quite free from 

 it. 



Mr. W. M. Carne, Lecturer in Botany at Hawkesbury Agricultural College, 

 states that the scent is normal to the species and that odours are common to the 

 Andropogons in flower, being specially marked in the lemon-scented species, one 

 of the sources of Citronellal. He also says that some species such as A. pertustis 

 and A. intermedins (syn. A. punctatus) have distinct depressions in the outer 

 glumes, and that these pits may be associated with glands {vide Otto Stapf. The 

 Oil Grasses of India and Ceylon, Kew Bulletin, 1906, p. 297). 



An eifort was made to obtain a larger amount of this grass from the College 

 in order to discover, if possible, the nature of what is probably a volatile oil of 

 some kind. Unfortunately, the grass garden had been cleaned up in the mean- 

 time and the grasses cut down. It is hoped, however, to secure another sample 

 at a later stage in the work. 



A chemical examination of the dried material showed that the percentage of 

 ether extract was lower than usual. The percentages of moisture and ash were 

 slightly above normal, while the percentage of crude fibre was high. Unfortunate- 

 ly, the grass was not weighed immediately after cutting, so that the total mois- 

 ture content is not available. The percentages of total moisture set down in the 

 tables in this report, as before stated (Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., 46, 1921) can 

 only be regarded as approximately correct. 



In order to obtain some idea of the differences in weighing the grasses on 

 ordinary and on chemical balances, some 1 lb. samples were obtained from the 

 Botanic Gardens, weighed immediately after cutting on an ordinary balance there, 

 and then re-weighed on a chemical balance immediately on arrival at the Uni- 

 versity about half, an hour later. The difference in the weighings was in each 

 case about 20 grams. The amount of moisture lost between the times of the two 

 weighings should not be large, as the samples were well packed, so that the 

 greater part of the difference of 20 grams is apparently due to the fact that a 

 rough balance was used for weighing the samples in the first instance. 



The high percentage of ash found in the sample of Danthonia pilosa (?) 

 which came from Yanco Experiment Farm may be explained by the fact that the 

 grass had been pulled up by the roots and a considerable amount of soil and 

 earthy matter was found to be adhering to the leaves and stems. 



