SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 
knowledge of the plants he is dealing with. In many in- 
stances certain crop plants are abandoned through failure 
of first trials, and it is necessary to persevere with their 
cultivation in order to secure acclimatised stocks. Suc- 
cessful results have been obtained by Mr. Cheel in the 
acclimatisation of the soy bean, the black Mauritius bean, 
and the Jerusalem pea. 
In regard to— 
(b) Oil-yielding seeds, skill was required to grow them success- 
fully. For instance, certain plants might be satisfactory 
so far as growth was concerned, but gave very poor crops 
of seeds. This might be due to lack of pollination, as ir 
many instances the plants were diecious. During the 
early stages of the work a good deal of it could be done in 
conjunction with various experimental farms under State 
control, and in the different Botanic Gardens. 
Mr. Cheel would be willing to render every assistance, and suggested 
that the Under-Secretary for Agriculture be approached with a view of 
securing his co-operation, and that monetary assistance be granted to 
extend the work to other States. 
The plants mentioned included black Mauritius bean, China velvet 
bean, fleshy-podded velvet bean, Florida velvet bean, velvet bean, Yoko- 
hama bean, soy bean, cow peas, climbing French or kidney beans, 
flageolet beans, maize or corn oil, coconut oil, hemp-seed oil, colza or 
colza rape oil, Indian rape oil, soy bean oil, peanut or ground nut oil, 
flax or linseed oil, castor oil. 
The matter was carefully considered by the Executive Committee, 
which was of the opinion that the problems involved in the successful 
cultivation of these plants are more economic than scientific. Most, if 
not all, of them could be cultivated in Australia, but not on a commercial 
basis in competition with the cheap labour products of other countries. 
SOUTH AFRICAN BOARD OF INDUSTRY AND SCIENCE. 
In 1916, the South African Government appointed an Industries 
Advisory Board, consisting of business men, representative of commerce, 
manufactures, and labour, and in the following year, on the recommenda- 
tion of that Board, a Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee was 
established to deal with all scientific and technical matters and questions 
of research. The Advisory Board and the Scientific and Technical 
Commnttee have now been amalgamated, under the title of the South 
African Advisory Board of Industry and Science, and a Committee of 
the Board, under the title of the Research Grant Board, has been estab- 
lished to advise-on research in Universities and cognate matters. 
MEDICINAL HERBS AND PERFUMES. 
Two of the subsidiary agricultural industries which have by no 
means reached their full stage of development in Australia are the 
culture of medicinal plants and the extraction of perfumes. At an 
early date, their commercial possibilities will be more fully and 
thoroughly tested. Two members of the A.I.F., Captain G. Adcock and 
