WHAT OUCHT TO BE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 427, 9 February 1909, Page 2

WHAT OUCHT TO BE.

■ of bint hemp, ;; .; "Wasbii,"■■'.in -ihe Lpndon "Field;" I says .the"-.foU6wirig'y.-:things.(-abpufc.>.:Nevir-. : -Zcaland: in the last sentence:— ::'■■■■'':■:";':;;■: ? ■:/■:; ""', ■• : ",New.Zialand:flax ; (Pbormiuni tenax)'lias: not■.!jy'et. taken ,, .that .position. , among/com-: .mercial -fibre, plants to iwhich- it is"' uiiques-:' tipnably/rentitlcd/;;;': It is •■■■unrivalled -.ifor'.ite'"" ( yi6ldof fibre,, no less,than'ls per.:ceut;,of its fresh -learps being; pure.'fibre -of' excellent , quality,; and. the plant is as tfenaoioiisof lifeas a;.dock.if. : the;, conditions as regards.:soil and ; climate /.are'■■suitable.' '.■: In • New;; Zealand it.is of .more, : .ec6nbmic-importance'than , any native plant, except perhapsthesauri, pine,, and. the Maoris, are 'very clever in extracting the fibre by;band.', .The inly 'obstacletoHho". plant ■becoming . of ..first, importance '■-'among-' .the'; fibres of the: world is the. difficulty-, experienced- so. far.'.:in /cohstructirig 'a 'ihacmne.or, hittingiupon alprpcess..that will extract ,;the fibre ,at, -cost. The New; Zeajand .Government,''-.' aware' of tW im- , portance : of '- their; flax- industry,•': have' : oollec-. ted; together all.the;iofms; or 'varietiesj .and are cultivating.them-side by. side with the bb-f .ject ;.of. \ testing:■ itheir' respective qualities'.They.: also insist 'on all-'exported fibre being inspected : 'ahd 'graded:, for ■ the ..-security 'of - ; traders: :.:Th'6;:pros'pect..of; labour, in New. Zealand'" being .'more -i> costly V thail 'in other .countries where.this phormium can.be'culti'vated is likely to'widen: the field of this.particular-, industry;; In Irelandi. for example, : there,;are : many,;_districtsv. where the ..plant -.would igoyi well;:in; fact, 1 it is already,repreV ' sented in -many, '/of,'.the: gardens- "there by ex- ; amples,equal;to any/that New-'Zealand .could. ;show.'f. It: is also quite , at'home.in tho open' air-iri'some parts.of Devon and.Cornwajl.-.'aiid in:the Scilly Isles .it'has;.become naturalised.: ' Attempts..are being, made to establish the , •phorramm industry in the -Tlnited States, and. for. years ■ there;.haye' ; been;: plantations', of it in ' St. .Helena.;' There', the plants-are raised, from offsets, planted .6ft; apart, .'or :1250.'t0' :the'acre,.thefirst.crop of leaves being taken, from them, four years-, afterwards,;' and- they. continue to yield a crop every_ year for: an indefinite period. The.-oultiyation; of the:plant' therefore presents,no difficulty,';and tie'fibre obtained from /it .being soft, white," ;'silkyy •with-'a' higher breaking; stram ; than -either hemp' or-flax, would .be a market:! if the: supply to be increased a hundredfold "on what it is at; present./■•;■; ■ "-■ /■' '•' ■■'~ '/■.;