NEW ZEALAND FLAX.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3118, 15 July 1867, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND FLAX.

"There is nothing new under the sun." To the Editor of the Daily Southern Cross. Sir,— The following extract from an article inth "Engineer's and Mechanic's Cyclopaedia," edited by Luke Herbert, and published by Thomaß Kelly, Pa* ternoster Row, in 1836 (thirty-one years ago), may interest many of your readers, and needs no comment from me. — I am, ftc, Chables Tothill. ' "Zealand (New) Flax.— The phormiuvi lenax of naturalists. — Its commercial name has been acquired from the circumstance of the natives of New Zealand employing it in the manufacture of their apparel, cordage, and all those purposes for which hemp or flax is used in other countries. The strength of its fibres, however, greatly exceeds those of the last-mentioned vegetable substances j and indeed, nearly approaches the tenacity of silk. ****** We are indebted to Mr. W. Salisbury, of Brompton, for the discovery of this identical plant, growing indigenously in the South of Ireland, where it flourishes luxuriantly. This discovery will probably prove of tht utmost importance to Ireland, where the poor may be profitably employed both in the culture and subsequent manufacture. Mr. Salisbury observes that plants of ' three years old will, on an average, yield thirty-six leaves, besides a very considerable increase of offsets; which leaves, being cut down at the time of clearing the quarters in autumn, ate found to spring up again the following summer. Six leaves have produced me one ounce of fibres, when scutched perfectly clean and dry ; at which an acre of land planted with this crop, at tht cc feet distance from plant to plant, will yield rather more than sixteen hundred- weight per acre, which is a very great (produce compared with that of flax or hemp. ** * * This plant is, at present, under cultivation in several parts of England and Wales. It will grow in either a moist or a dry soil, on a hill or in a valley, but most luxuriantly where there is

plenty of moisture. " New Zealand flax has afc length become one of our established manufactures, and is now wrought into variouß articles of commerce ; every improvement therefore in its preparation, that will economise the prooess, and extend, its useful applications, is wel deserving of record. Accordingly, we ■ subjoin an account of the patent of Mr. J. Holt, jun., of Whitby, Yorkshire, designed with those view*. " In the manufacture of tarred cordage, the chief obstacle to the employment of that strong fibrous vegetable material known by the name of the New Zealand flax has been the apparent impossibility of makiDg the fibres absorb or unite with the preservative fluid. In consequence, the chief use of the .New Zealand flax has been confined to the preparation of white cordage. The patentee informs us , in his specification, that he has discovered that the ultimate fibres of the flax are combined and enclosed by a coat" ing of adhesive matter, which requires the application of some chemical .solvent to set the fibres at liberty, and adapt them to the reception of tar ; and the solvent which effects this object completely and economically he finds to be a weak solution of potash of soda. His prooess is as follows: — The flax, having been hackled and spun into yarn io the usual manner, is in a suitable state for the chemical procedure ; wbich consists in immersing it in a solution of potash or soda, in the proportion of half an ounoo of alkali to a gallon of water, which may be either hot or cold. When the flax has been thus submitted to the action of alkali for 48 hours, it is to be taken out, wrung, and hung up to dry either in the air or in a stove. When dried the flax will be found adapted to imbibe the tar as readily and hold it as firmly as the hemp in ordinal y use ; in performing which pro^ cess, and all that may be subsequent, the rope manufacturer need make no variation from his accustomed proceedings."