28 



-or steaming the leaves. The great-flowered Torch Lily (Kni- 

 phofia grandiflora) and the "Recurved Torch Lily" (Kniphofia 

 recurvata) are probably the strongest and best in quality, and 

 these give the greatest percentage of fibre.* 



A FURTHER GROUP OF THE FIBRE- YIELDING 

 PLANTS. 



The " Rush family," Order Juncaceaa, must not be passed 

 over. There is perhaps no plant more commonly despised and 

 looked upon as worse than useless than the rush, whose presence 

 alone is sufficient to indicate cold worthless SAvampy ground, or 

 ground at all events liable to submersion. And yet even this 

 despised order of vegetation has its uses, and, in its way, its 

 economic value. Tliere are in this colony at least four species 

 found growing on the marshy tracts, both inland and near the 

 sea, that furnish fibres which, if properly treated, make excellent 

 strong paper. Of these the best is, perhaps, " Juncus pallidus " 

 ("the pale-green tall rush") which may be gathered in vast 

 quantities all over this and the other Australian colonies. 



A good fibre is obtained from " Xerotes longifolia," a tufted 

 perennial commonly called "Tussock Grass" or "Australian Mat- 

 rush"; and from the leaves also of the " Grass tree " (Xantliorrhcea 

 Australis) a small percentage of silky fibre can be extracted, 

 which probably is of little value, although the trunk yields a 

 fragrant resin, which has been u?ed as a varnish, for dyeing 

 purposes, and in the manufacture of lacquer for tinware. It also 

 affords a large percentage of wood spirit. 



An aquatic perennial Ijelonging to the " Bur Reed family " 

 (Typliaceae) yields from ils leaves a fibre of considerable strength 

 and fineness, and also good paper material. The plant is known 

 all over Australia as the "Native Bulrush," and is, in fact, a 

 cosmopolitan, being found wild on the banks of rivers, ditches, 

 and ponds in all quarters of the globe. In Europe it is called 

 "Reed Mace" and " Catstail," while the botanical name is 

 " Typha angustifolia." As a fibre plant it was brought under 

 notice through a sample prepared here and sent to the Amsterdam 

 Exhibition of 1876, and very shortly afterwards an article 

 appeared in an English periodical stating that a French com- 

 pany had been formed for the purpose of utilizing it, and that 

 machinery had been invented capable of converting it into textile 

 fabrics of great fineness. The sample sent from here was partly 



* Since this was penned I received, through Mr. H, N". Sleigh, of this city, a letter from a 

 Londfin firm of manufacturers, stilting the value of this fibre and that of Sparmannia Afrlcana 

 to be from £17 to £17 10s. per ton. 



