EDITORIAL. 
The Institute has decided to aceept the offer of the Society, and as 
a beginning ‘has made a grant of £100 in order to enable experi- 
mental work on Castor Bean cultivation to be started at once. The 
work will be carried out under the direction of Mr. R. W. Peters, who® 
was appointed to the position on the recommendation of Professor 
Bateson, and: who’ possesses exceptional qualifications and has had wide 
experience in plant breeding and horticultural work. 
PAPER PULP FROM BLADY GRASS. 
_ In connexion with the manufacture of paper pulp from Blady Grass 
which is being carried out by Mr. J. Campbell at Cairns, the Cairns 
Post makes the following statement :—“ It takes 3 tons of green blady 
“grass to manufacture 1 ton of crude pulp, while it takes at least 7 to $ 
“tons of cane to make 1 ton of brown sugar. Delivered at the Southern 
“Paper Mill the pulp is worth at least £21 per ton, a value equal to that 
“of the 1 ton of sugar. Under present conditions the cost of manufactur- 
“ing the pulp is greater than that of making the sugar, owing chiefly to 
“the fact that chemicals are dear, and the machinery and appliances 
“have not been perfected, but Mr. Campbell can show not only how to 
“make good use of local crude alkalis, but also how to bring the applica- 
“tion of his method up to sugar-mill standard, thus greatly decreasing 
“the cost of manufacture. This would mean that a higher price could be 
“paid for the grass—in fact, a price equal to that of the sugar cane, 
“say, £2 per ton green, making a ton of hitherto useless blady grass 
“(considered a pest and a curse by the cane farmer) growing without 
“cultivation, equal in value to a ton of the best cultivated sugar cane.” 
RUSTLESS. STEEL. 
The process for the manufacture of rustless steel was discovered just 
prior to the outbreak of the war, and was commandeered by the British 
Government for use in aeroplane construction and other purposes where 
strength and durability, combined with rust-resisting qualities, were 
invaluable. The steel is a Sheffield invention, and the process was dis- 
covered largely by accident. A local metallurgist, Mr. Harry Brearly, 
was experimenting in the armament shop, and he noticed that certain 
pieces of chrome steel had not suffered from corrosive influences under 
“conditions which would have rusted ordinary steel. He followed up this 
clue, and what is known as “rustless” or “stainless” steel was even- 
tually worked out. Te 
An analysis of a sample of rustless steel has been made for the’ 
Institute by Mr, A. J. Higgin, Metallurgical Laboratory, Melbourne. 
University. . The analysis gave the following results: 
Chromium .. e 2 .. 12.95 per cent. 
a3: COl aan nat 2 -. 0.27 per cent. 
Nickel’ ey an a .. 0.83 per cent. 
Cobalt a 3 es .s) | trace: ‘ 
Carbon a : -. 0.76 per cent. 
No attempt was made to determine the sulphur and phosphorus, as’ 
the sample was too small to permit of it. These constituents, however, ' 
would ‘only be present in small quantities. The percentage. of iron’ 
would make up the balance of the 100 parts. Pe GOW 
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