590 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Dec., 1899. 
The inventor does not claim the product to be a manure, and in accordance 
with the analysis the actual value of the plant foods, phosphoric acid, potash, 
and nitrogen amounts to 15s. per ton of Jadoo fibre. The secret of the pre- 
paration lies in the foundation material, which has the power of absorbing and 
retaining the fertilising ingredients, which are thoroughly incorporated with the 
fibre by a slow process of fermentation. 
I believe the manufacture of this product could be successfully started in 
this colony, and T do not think that a better foundation material could be‘found 
than finely crushed megass trom a sugarmill. Megass by itself has only a very 
slight manurial value (about 6s. per ton), but megass possesses great absorptive 
power, and retains water just as well as Jadoo fibre, and, again, does not rot 
quickly in the ground. Perhaps finely chopped trash, or, again, dried filter 
press cake might be added with advantage to the megass. 
Forestry. 
TASMANIAN BEECH. 
Amonasr the timbers of Tasmania, beech, or “myrtle,” grows in immense 
forests, the largest trees having a trunk of 40 feet to the first limb, and a 
diameter of from 2 feet to 6 feet. It is somewhat like the European beech in 
working, but tougher and rather heavier. Jt is a capital wood for all inside 
work, cask-making, tools, floors, and furniture ; it wears to a smooth surface, 
and stands well 77 cuz in the winter. There are two varieties of this timber— 
viz., the red and white. 
SPRUCE PULP FOR NEWSPAPER. 
Spruce pulp for newspaper, and the extent to which it is consumed, is set forth 
in tabular form in the Boston Transcript. From this table it appears that one 
cord of spruce wood, or 615 feet B.M., will make 3-ton of sulphite pulp, or 1 
ton of ground wood pulp. Newspaper stock is made up of 20 percent. sulphite 
pulp and 80 per cent. of ground wood pulp. The best spruce lands, virgin 
growth, possess a ‘‘stand” of about 7,000 feet B.M. to the acre; and 22 acres will 
therefore contain 154,000 feet B:M. of timber. An average gang of loggers 
will cut this in eight days, and any large pulp-mill will convert ‘this amount of 
timber in one day into about 250 tons of the class of paper-pulp used in 
newspaper stock. This pulp will make about an equal weight of paper ready 
for the Press, and this paper will be used up by a single large city newspaper in 
about two days. 
LAKE HARRY DATE PALMS. 
Tue Conservator of Forests, Mr. W. Gill, returned on Tuesday from a visit to 
the date-palm plantations in the far north. During his inspection of the Lake 
Harry palms he was pleased to find that the seedlings raised from the dates sent 
out by the Hon. I. Playford, M.P., when Agent-General, have made good 
progress, being from 3 feet to-5 fect: in height. One or two have flowered 
though not yet four years-old. ‘The Algerian palms are also looking well, and 
several have already set good bunches of fruit, which give promise of maturing 
satisfactorily in due course. ‘They have all had thorough cultivation, and are in 
excellent condition. for increased growth during the coming season. The palms 
at Hergott continue to develop steadily, and will shortly receive a thorough 
cultivation prior to the starting of their usual summer growth.—Adelarde 
Observer, 
