LINEN FLAX
QUALITY IN NEW ZEALAND. 1 RESEARCH FOR IMPROVEMENT, WORK PERFORMED AT BELFAST, (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright.) (Special Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 11.5 a.m.) LONDON, Oct. 12. Research in Belfast may lead to an improvement in the quality of New Zealand linen flax and make it suitable for the manufacture of aircraft fabric. Although New Zealand linen flax is of good quality it. has hitherto been inclined to he brittle and consequently is suitable only for certain purposes such as thread or coarse canvas. Research carried out by the Linen Industries Research Institute at Belfast is believed to have got down to the couse of the trouble. It found that while Irish linen flax scutches easily, fibre bundles separating fi’om cortical cells or w'aste material, New Zealand linen flax fibres hold together in small groups instead of separating singly as the Irish. This'accounts for the coarseness.
It will now be the job of linen flaxgrowers in New Zealand to bring about separation of fibre bundles from the cortical cells. The answer may lie in the soil or climatic conditions. It may be necessary to concentrate growing to certain districts or use fertilisers. Full details of tlie Institute’s research have already been sent to the New Zealand Government,
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Bibliographic details
Ashburton Guardian, Volume 64, Issue 2, 13 October 1943, Page 3
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206LINEN FLAX Ashburton Guardian, Volume 64, Issue 2, 13 October 1943, Page 3
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