SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 
still more ornamental when the flowering stem or spike appears from the 
centre of the bunch, and projects to a considerable height (in some 
eases 8 or 9 feet) in the large species, or only as many inches in the 
smallest species. Towards the apex of this cylindrical pole the flowers 
are borne, and black shining seed is produced for the propagation of 
the plant. The grass trees would appear to have a predilection for 
poor, sandy soil, growing under conditions which, judging from the 
stunted and dwarfed plants usually associated with them, indicate a 
lack of suitable nitrogenous and other plant foods. Yet in this 
‘apparently unfavorable environment the plant is able to claborate 
many complex chemical substances to such an extent that not only are 
some of the substances somewhat different from those found in any 
other plants, but the different species also contain different substances. 
The investigation of these plants requires the co-operation of a botanist 
and a chemist, similar to the work performed on the eucalypts and 
XN 
te SN 
X, quadrangulata, SHOWING CORE AND LEAF BASES. 
Block kindly loaned by Department of Chemistry, South Australia. 
the pines by Messrs. Baker and Smith. The plants are not cultivated 
in Australia; they require long periods for growth—how long is not 
known—but, apparently, any time from 15 to 80 years. As they are 
not found outside Australia and Tasmania, there is little danger of: 
any industry established to exploit them being taken from here, as 
has happened with other plant industries, ¢.g., the production of tannin 
extract in Natal from Australian acacias, and the growth of the 
eucalyptus in California. The greatest danger, however, was that many 
of the plants would be destroyed before systematic investigation had 
revealed the true value of the plant and its products, as, by the methods 
of collecting the resin up to the present, the plants were destroyed. 
Several estimates have been made of the quantity of resin available for 
collection. On Kangaroo Island, it is estimated that there are 500,000 
acres under grass trees, with a total amount of 150,000 tons of resin 
“available for collection. ‘There are other places where large quantities 
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