NEW ZEALAND FLAX.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 363, 18 February 1863, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND FLAX.

The following letter has been addressed to the editor ol the Times ;•—

" Sir, —Tn your article of the 20th inst. on the International Exhibition, you draw welldeserved attention to the two interesting American ' flax' and ' fibre' machines in the Western Annexe.

" Judging from your description that the fibre machine, in addition to its action on the leaves of aloes and other fleshy-leaved plants, might also be adaptable to cleaning : New Zealand flax, I went at once to the exhibitor, Mr Guild, who very politely shewed me its practical working.

," Though phormium tenax had not then entered into the list of textile fibres in his prospectus, I found that he had already tried one imperfect leaf,.and from the result judged favorably of its fitness for the operation of a machine specially adapted to it. " I furnished him with three or four leaves which I had obtained through the kindness of Messrs Vcitch, the eminent nurserymen; they were from a delicate plant grown tinder glass. The machine though fitted -with very large teeth, expressly for thick leaves, such as those of the aloe, and therefore, far too long for a fair trial, nevertheless dealt with the flax leaf, and delivered its fibre perfectly clean, the gummy matter apparently all washed away. Since then I have witnessed its action on some dry leaves of New Zealand flax twelve months old, obtained by Mr Guild through another channel. ■

" Though nothing could look less promising than such material the machine in an instant decorticated the leaves while the ingenious contrivance of the flowing water completely cleansed the inner fibres from all the refuse.

"Even the flax machine, though designed solely for European flax, scutched the same dry leaves, producing in an instant a clean fibre fit for immediate working into rope, but of course inferior in purity to that cleaned by the wet process of the fibre machine.

" At this moment, when all the enrth is being searched for new textile fibres for the support of onr pararysed industry, I think it most important that the possibility of thus economically cleaning New Zealand flax should he generally known. From the days of Captain Cook its usefulness has been known, but all attempts at cleaning by machinery have hitherto practically failed, the simple method of the sharpened shell, in vogue among the natives at the first discovery, being still in pi-actice, and the ordinary local requirements of cordage, &c, are mainly supplied from Europe and India, as being cheaper than the conversion ol the native material by the ancient process.

" I enclose you a portion of the flax cleaned by Mr Guild. ''I have taken the liberty of troubling you now, under the belief that a textile fibre abounding in any desirable quantity over 15 deg. of latitude, hitherto only encumbering the earth, must be important at this juncture to the manufacturing interests in England, The prosperity of those interesting islands of the New Zealand group will be, moreover, largely increased, and we may hope that the Britain of the South will obtain a new export, second only in importance to that for which she bids fair to surpass the whole world— namely, the Golden Fleece.—l am' Sir, your obedient servant,

" G. A. Anstet, " 11, George-street, Hanover-square, "Oct. ?9."