The investigations conducted by Tutu. Professor Easterfield, of Victoria College, Wellington, and Mr Aston, Chemist to the Agricultural Department, into the properties of the tutu plant liave reached a stage at which certain definite results have been obtained. Whether they have estab lished the possession by this plant of pro perties of either commercial or scientific value has yet to be proved, but the nature of its powerful poison, has been ascertained, and that is a long step towards finding out whether it can be brought into the service of man. This poison was extracted by the investigators from the juice of plants col lected in Wellington and Otago. As the seeds are so dangerous to human life, it might have been expected that they would be found to contain a large percentage af poison, but this was not the case, the yield of "tufbin," as the new poison is termed, from this source being very simtll. The power ful effects of "tnfcin" were emphasised by experiments on animals, a full-grown cat succumbing to a dose of .06 grain, a pig to one of 2 grains, while a dose estimated at .01 grain made a full-grown man exceedingly unwell'for more than twenty-four hours. Samples have been sent to the University of St. Andrew's, so that' the aotion of the drug may be further investigated. "Tutin" be longs to the giucosides, which are almost wholly non-poisonous, and include such drugs as tannin, salicin, and the extracts from the indigo and madder plants. This fact alone is of some scientific interest, as it has alwaya been believed that the active principle of tutu was an alkaloid, claiming kinship with such deadly poisons, as strych nine and nicotine, and with such a useful drug as q-_jn__e. Professor Easterfiekl and his coadjutor have opened up an interesting field of research, one which, considering the great variety of New Zealand plants and the comparatively little that is known of their properties, may prove of great hteott-fit to science and to commerce,

The dangerous effects of tutu A Plant upon animal life have long to be been known to New Zealand Avoided., settlers, and many a colonist ' has had reason to regret his cattle or sheep being allowed to eat a plant which is apparently as tempting to their eyes as it is pleasing to ours. 