BETTER QUALITY FLAX

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 54, Issue 193, 29 May 1934, Page 8

BETTER QUALITY FLAX

PLANTING OF AREA AT FOXTON.

OUTCOME OF EXPERIMENTS

(Special to the " Guardian.") FOXTON, May 26

Dr. E. Marsden, of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, while on a visit to Foxton. this week said that the department, was endeavouring to interest the Government in the establishment of an area of cultivated flax at Foxton, handy to the woolpack factory. The object was the growing of specially-selected flax plants of a yery high commercial value. The iswamps to-day, said Mr. Marsden, were full of all varieties of flax, and the utilisation of these various kinds together of necessity was not in the best interests of any fibre-prepar-ing concern. Dr. Yeates had carried out highly successful experiments at Massey College, with the result that it was now possible to plant areas of selected plants which, when harvested would produce a much superior article.

The cultivation of an area of selected flax near Foxton was one of their main considerations at the present moment, said Dr. Marsden, and once that was got under way attention would be turned to the perfection of a stripper on entirely new lines for the more convenient and better handling of the

crop. •."•.'. . Mr D. R. Ogilyy, president of the Now Zealand Flaxmiilers' Association, has been interested in both flax cultivation and the perfection of a new stripper, and for some time has been urging the Government the necessity for improvements along these lines.