FLAX—ITS VARIETIES,

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1060, 25 June 1869, Page 3

FLAX—ITS VARIETIES,

We extract the following from an article in the Wanganui Chronicle: —

The phormium tinaxa, harakeke or korari of the Maoris, and flax of the settlers, varies very greatly in characterandquality. It may be found of all heights, from one foot to eight or over ten feet, and the proportion of fibre /varies from little' more than nil to fully 25 per cent, of the weight of the leaf. Great difference is also found as regards the tenacity with which the fibres adhere to the woody matter of the leaf, it being next to impossible in the case of some leaves to get rid of the wood without bruising and breaking the fibre so as to render it nearly worthless* while i frorii' others nearly every particle of tho fibre can be torn out by hand in so clean a state as to be completely freed from refuse by means of a few strokes from a stiff brush." The color of the fibre itself also varies from a dirty brown, to a brilliant . silky white. . '

The Maoris divide the flax into sixteen varieties, but as in the wild state, of course, nearly every bush is a seedling, -the different sorts ai'e so blended together that scarcely any two plants are precisely alike. Of the sixteen sorts, however, the natives only regard three as being of any value. The sorts cultivated by the natives are the Wharariki, liaukawa, ' and Tihore. The first is a long-leaved flax ofja. bluish colour, with nearly black edges, and a purply-red flower. .. The fibre, ;which is dark-coloured, adheres very tejn&ciou.sjiy to the woody matter, and the latter is -in itself very tough, and comparatively little liable to rot from exposure'to ' <famp, &c. This sort is used for plaiting into ropes, floor mats, and good baskets, as well as for the manufacture of nets, and/tying the thatch which covers native whares. The Eaukawa is shorter flax than the'lastV'vi'ith lighter coloured edges, and yellowish red flowers. The general colour of the leaf i? a bluish-green, but it is far thinner and apparently harder than the preceding variety. The leaf curls very little in drying, and the fibre, which is dark-coloured, can bo readily torn out in lengths of from eight to ten inches. It is these last points which give it value, as it was used in the manufacture of the rough mats for out-door wear, and a perfectly rain-proof garment of this flax was far lighter than a similar article would have been if constructed of other varieties. This sort is but little grown now, and is chiefly found in old cultivations. The Tihore (which signifies to scrape) is the sort which was used by the Maoris in manufacturing their finest clothing mats. It has a short thick and broad leaf, of a dark yellowish green colour, with reddish brown edges and centre stripe. It rarely exceeds five feet in height, and seldom if ever flowers : in fact its blossoming is an indication that the plant is crossed with some other sort, and the fibre will on examination.be found inferior in- quality. The fibre is extremely strong, beautifully white, and appears to be enclosed in the wood, but hardly connected with it. The woody portion of the leaf and its skin is so brittle that, when the fibre is torn out, the littlo extraneous matter which comes' with it can readily bo removed by scraping with a shell, or in the best samples with a brush. When first extracted from the leaf, the fibre appears too coarse to be useful for anything but ropes, but after a few hour's soaking, and being beaten between smooth stones, it subdivides into an immense number of silky filaments, and is then ready for use. As the value of flax as an article of cultivation must depend on the colour and strength of the fibre, and the ease and completeness with which it can be separated from the wood aud skin of the loaf, the following direction for testing it will be found useful by persons intending to plant it. Split the leaf into halves, rejecting the centre and edges : then cut each half just through the skin of the underside or back of the leaf at about its middle : double the ends together (the face touching the face), and grasping and squeezing the cut firmly with the left hand, lay the folded leaf round tho left thigh, and with the right hand pulling, and the left thrusting so as to keep the portion of tho leaf from which the fibre is' being torn pressed tightly on the thigh, try what length and amount of fibre will conic away. Then turn the leaf over, and, grasping the ends of the extracted fibre with the right hand, tear it iti the same way from the other end. It will soon be found how greatly the length and thickness of fibre obtainable by this moans, varies ; and any bush whose leaves will not give strong fibre tho whole width of the half-leaf, and at least a foot long, should be rejected as not worth propagating, as. tho force necessary to separate the wood from the fibre will bruise and damage the latter so as to materially lessen its market value. A leaf of the best Tihore thus treated will yield two ribbons of fibre each two inches broad, about a sixteenth of an inch thick, and the whole length of the leaf, which varies from three to four feet according to soil; and all the extraneous matter adhering to it will be a little skin broken up liko fine bran, which can be brushed off when dry. Everyone, therefore, cultivating flax should endeavour to get a few bushes of Tihore, and propagate them carefully, with a view to future planting.