N.Z. FLAX CULTIVATION

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 149, 21 March 1927, Page 5

N.Z. FLAX CULTIVATION

(Published by Arrangement.) This is the second of a series of six articles to appear in this paper of the WELLINGTON FLAX GROWERS' CORPORATION LIMITED. CAPITAL: £50,000. Divided into shares of £1 each, and now available for. public subscription,, at the rate of 2s. per share on application, 2s. perishable on allotment, and balance at Is. per share per month until paid for. DIRECTORS: (1) C. W. Tringham, solicitor and senior partner of Tringham and -Harding, is a director of the '.‘Fred Seifert Ltd.,” flaxgrowers and millers, and is a director of several other commercial enterprises. (2) H. T. Greedy, flaxgrower and miller, for twenty-one years manager for the Seifert Brothers, following Mr. Webb, be for six years managed for A. and L. Seifert Limited, was. afterwards hemp grading for the Government,. and lias now for some years been manager to Mr. Frank Wall, Martinborough, where intense flax-growing is carried on. (3) R. H. Webb, flaxmiller, was for sixteen vears manager for A. and L. Seifert, flaxgrowers and millers, who own the largest flax mill in. New Zealand. Is now retired, but is engaged in hemp grading for the Government. (4) 11. Vickernian, M.Sc., M.lust.C.E., consulting engineer, of Vickerman and Lancaster, is a member of the Scientific and Industrial Research Council, is also director of the National Portland Cement Company Ltd. . (5) H. N. Amos, managing director H. Amos Ltd., proprietors of Banks Commercial. College and Wellesley Boys College, secretary Rotary Club of WelCopy° of. Letter from Mr. H. T. Greedy, manager for Mr. Frank W all, Martinborough. . Martinborougn, December 10, 1926. Messrs. Irwin and George, Wellington. Dear Sirs,— RE MUNGAROA FLAX-GROWING AND MILLING PROPOSITION. I have just learned from Mr. F. J. V. Wilson, who wished to interest you in the Wellington rlax Growers’ Corporation, Limited, that you were informed that the peat land at Muugaroa taken over by this company was unsuitable for growing New Zealand flax. I hasten to assure you that this is an erroneous impression. When I visited the site with Mr. Wilson, I was most -agreeably surprised to see such . a level, welldrained swamp so suitable' for flaxgrowing that the land needs no preparatory work to get it ready for the plough, and the early planting of flax. Here you have laud that in all my experience I know of no other property that has been drained so well, well-kept drains up to 10 feet or more in depth which have been the means of consolidating the land and making it suitable for growing flax. Owing to the good drainage, the land will be entirely free from stagnant water, which is one of the worst features in retarding the growth and bringing about decay and various forms of blight and disease. It is not a question of' will it grow flax. One has only to visit the propertv to see for himself in what would appear to be the poorest patches of land to be seen, fine, healthy, vigorous leaf equal to the best in Manawatu to-day. What did surprise me most was that on examining a cross section of most of the varieties, I found them to be very high in fibre content, and I have always found that where this is it follows that the qualitv is, good. . With reference to seedlings: It is no easy matter to germinate them,-- and when you are Successful, the growth for the first twelve months or so is very slow. ... . Here you have a swamp with seedlings springing up everywhere, the stage of growth being from a .few weeks up to vearling seedlings. This docs not occur in most other swamps,, and it is a great asset, as here you have the material for the formation of what will be a valuable nursery, which will mean a god deal in the saving of time as against gathering and sowing seed, and trusting to luck that they may germinate. , ~ I saw on the poorest portions of the land, roots from old stock that had been transplanted in July last, that for -aid aq; ?u 3riiq;£uu o; pnba am q;MOjS sent time that I put in in the same way in river silt deposit in the same month. I have a man in my employ at present who some vears ago carted from the property 3000 tons of green leaf, and railed it to a mill in Featherston, and I hear there are also several thousand tons railed to Foxton from this property. Another’ thing of very great importance is that there is sufficient flax growing here of good fibre content to plant up a good deal of the area, and then there are also all the seedlings. Wherever they have endeavoured to burn the flax it is coming away stronger than ever. , I have had twenty-five years close rtiid constant experience in flax milling, during the latter years of which I have devoted a good deal of time to the preparation and growing of flax, and I am firmly convinced that here von have a property that at the price, of £lb per acre for growing flax is a snip. For if this area is planted up as proposed, and at the close of four or five years it is brought into a good stand of flax, if the company never mills a blade Oil their own account, with anvthing like the prices maintained for hemp, the land should treble in value. . For milling purposes there is a good site for tfie mill right alongside the property, with good water for washing the fibre, which is most essential. I am interested in this proposition, because I think the company is based on sound lines and that the conditions are as favourable as I have stated, and because I am of this opinion I have no fear or recommending it to anyone who would care to be interested. Yours faithfully, (Signed) H. T- GREEDY.

Further particulars and shares can be obtained from: The Organising Secre?aS Messrs. Wilson Bros 31 Hunter Street Wellington; Chief Sharebroker., Messrs. Irwin’ and George, Panama Street, Wellington; and all brokers of, the Wellington Stock Exchange.