SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 
As a fodder it is eaten by pigs and cattle, but is not relished except in times 
of scarcity or drought. ‘ 
At St. John’s, in Florida, cattle and hogs eat the weed in winter time, and here 
and elsewhere it is also eaten by stock. An analysis was made to determine its 
feeding value with the following result:— 
‘Water Hyacrxtn.—Report New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1906. 
(Burrows, Maiden, and Guthrie.) 
FS Water -) a or x3 .. 90.17 per cent. 
= ANSE uy fe te bs .. 1.42 per cent. 
. Fibres as 34 ms, - .. 1.33 per cent. 
Albuminoids .. AS Ag i .. 1.75 per cent. 
Sugar and other carbohydrates . .. 5.10 per cent. 
Ether extract (fat or oil) .. te .. 0.23 per cent. 
100.0 
Nutritive value, 7.36. 
Albuminoid ratio, 1 to 3.2. 
The amount of indigestible fibrous matter is much lower than one would be 
led to expect from the appearance of the leaf and stem. It contains apparently no 
injurious properties, and from the chemical analysis has a definite feeding value, 
with a composition not unlike succulent roots such as turnips, mangels, &e. 
Some authorities state that it is not of much value for cows, and useless for 
sheep and horses. ; ahi 
Attempts to use it for commercial purposes have not been very successful. 
One proposal was to use it as a raw material for making paper cardboard and 
paper felt, for engine-packing and insulation purposes, and for upholstery. 
Material was submitted by the New South Wales Agricultural Department to two 
paper manufacturers, who reported as follows:— : 
1. No use for making paper or cardboard, as no fibre present. 
2. Unsuitable for anything except strawboard, and for that purpose sufli- 
cient cheap material is already at hand at 10s. a ton and cartage. 
A third reported that it might be used for paper, but would haye to be 
cleaned. All threads and knots would have to be removed. 
it was also submitted to four firms of upholsterers, who replied— 
1. Might be used in one of the cheapest lines of upholstering, but would 
have to be marketed at a cheap rate. 
The other three condemned it on the following grounds :— 
2. Does not contain sufficient body. 
3. In testing it would be all reduced to dust. 
4. Owing to dust workmen would refuse to handle it. 
A leading paper manufacturer in England, to whom specimens were sent, 
reported that it was the most inferior substance yet offered to him, The amount 
of fibre was only 4 per cent. 
—Agricultural Gazette, New South Wales, 24/712. 
Interesting tests were also made in Cochin China. (Reports by Mr. J. B. 
Suttor, from the Director of Agriculture) :— 
“The only use so far found for it was to convert it into manure by allowing it 
to decompose in heaps on the hanks, and subsequently spread it out in the fields. 
The residue from these heaps is a mould (?) rich in’ potash and nitrogen.” 
An experiment was made to convert it into wicker chairs, but it was found to 
be an unsuitable material. A similar result was obtained from the manufacture 
of bags and mats. These, after a time, became mouldy, and though continually 
dried the fibre was found either to absorb or else to retain a large amount of 
moisture. It was also found to be more expensive than gunnybags, and two or 
three times heavier. be 
The results of experiments in ropemaking were not encouraging, as the fibre 
does. not possess resistance, and rotted and deteriorated very rapidly when 
exposed. In obtaining the fibres, it was found that drying. in the sun fermented 
it, so drying in the shade became necessary. Favorable reports as to its value 
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