8 



useful as yielding " vulcanite " or " ebonite," but these trials 

 seemed to prove that the industry would not be likely to be a 

 commercial success. 



48. Information as to the plants Tacca pinnatifida, Baker., 

 Maranta arundinacea, from both of which "arrowroot" is 

 obtained. 



49. Examination of seeds and seed vessels of an Atriplex 

 .adhering to Mohair ; the plant was almost certainly A . holocarpa, 

 F. v M. The sender was of opinion that on account of their 

 property of so readily adhering to wool, that the plant might 

 possibly prove a nuisance in sheep farming districts As I have 

 no information as to their being so in other countries I sent the 

 specimen with the wool to J. H. Maiden, F.L.S., Director of the 

 Botanic Gardens at Sydney, asking for information on the 

 subject. 



50. Identification of 3 indigenous plants from the upper 

 districts. 



51. Information as to fibre-yielding plants suitable for the 

 •Colony, and identification of a leaf which proved to be that of 

 Agave americana, Linn. 



52. Information as to fibre plants, with special reference to 

 Agave rigida, Mill. var. risalana, and to Fourcroya. 



53. Information as to fibre-yielding plants generally, but 

 especially to the species Agave and Fourcroya. 



54. Same as above, this and the previous application being 

 from different persons in different parts of Transvaal. 



55. Identification of a plant, which was correctly supposed 

 to be injurious to wool ; it proved to be an introduced species of 

 Altemanthera. (This application was from Cape Colony.) 



56. Identification of a grass, Panicum pyramidale, Lam. var. 

 hebetata Stapf., found near Newcastle. This variety was not in 

 our collection. 



57. Information as to the probability of success of rubber 

 and vanilla growing in Madagascar. 



58. Examination of a mushroom, which was almost certainly 

 Agaricus (Lepiota.) africana, Kalch. This fungus is certainly 

 not poisonous, and is probably edible, but the specimen sent was 

 not quite complete. 



59. Identification of an indigenous, fibre yielding plant 

 Sanseviera thyrsiflora, Thunb, with information as to be fibre 

 obtained from this genus of plants. 



