MACROZAMIA SPIRALIS, 
The residual moisture in the air-dried samples (obtained by heating 
weighed quantities in a steam oven) was found to vary very little, 
and the average figure for six different samples was found to be 11.3 
per cent, 
ITI.—Conctustons. 
The first deduction from the figures for the yield of alcohol is that, 
as a source of industrial alcohol, the bulbs from the Murwillumbah 
district were useless, while those from Wyong gave considerably less 
alcohol than those from Bateman’s Bay. The interest in this result lies 
in the fact that the principal supplies of macrozamia in New South 
Wales are found in the South Coast districts. 
The next point of importance brought out by the investigation is 
that, contrary to expectation, the outer cores of the bulb yield consider- 
able quantities of alcohol, and in several instances, as shown in Table 
II., larger yields of alcohol per ton were obtained from the outer core 
than from the inner core of the same bulb. 
The Bateman’s Bay bulbs were the only ones .of which samples were 
obtained at different periods of the year, and closer study of the results 
from these bulbs indicates fairly definitely that a transference of starchy 
material from the outer to the inner core takes place at certain seasons, 
and that consequently at these periods the inner core is richer and the 
outer core poorer in starch than at other seasons. If the figures for 
the first five bulbs collected in October, 1918, are taken, it is found 
that 218 lbs. of inner core give 1.414 gallons alcohol, while 587.5 lbs. of 
outer core gave 3.309 gallons, corresponding to yields per ton of 14.52, 
gallons from the inner core and 12.63 from the outer core. For the 
whole bulbs, 805.5 lbs. gave 4.728 gallons, or 18.13 gallons to the ton. 
The ratio of weight of outer core to inner at this period of the year 
was Zoe 6 AL, 
For the two bulbs collected in January, 1919, the figures were :— 
313 Ibs. inner core gave 2.791 gallons; 318 Ibs. outer core, 0.9047 gallons; 
corresponding to yields of 19.97 gallons and 6.37 gallons per ton for 
the inner and outer cores, and 13.12 gallons for the whole bulb. The 
weights of outer and inner core were in the ratio of nearly 1:1. The 
leaf bases of the specimens collected in October were very rich in starch, 
and the analysis indicates that in the period between October and 
January a large portion of the starch from the outer core was trans- 
ferred to the inner. The outer core decreased in weight relatively to 
the inner, while the percentage of starch in the weight of the whole bulb 
remained very constant. Further investigation on samples of bulbs 
collected throughout the year is necessary to confirm these results, and 
to determine at what period in the year the starch-content of the inner 
core reaches its maximum. 
In regard to the starch-content of the plant, Table III. gives the 
percentages of starch obtained by calculation from the yield of alcohol 
on fermentation. It was hoped to determine the starch by other 
methods, but, although some preliminary tests have been. carried out by 
Miss Hindmarsh on this portion of the work, no time has been avail- 
able to provide separate figures. In fermenting starch solutions from 
473 
