The Flax Industry. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2058, 3 August 1893, Page 8

The Flax Industry. TO THE EDITOR.

Sp,— " Agricola " in Rural Topics has lately given an elaborate set of opinions regarding 'New Zealand flax. Like many others who may cot be Acquainted with textile manufactures and their ' special requirements, he thinks it ought to be applied in the production of sacking, packclotb, and matting, and, also thinks ihat the gum might be advantageously utilised, and the plant profitably cultivated, I will endeavour to show that considerable difficulties stand in the way of his propositions. Most of the fibre is spun' with some difficulty and great loss, from tear and wear of machinery owing to the presence of organic matter and the careless manner in which it is prepared. The finest thread usually spun is a very coarse count called binding twine, and only wellprepared fibre is fit for such, the other sorts being used for rope — into which all kinds of rubbish finds a way, and leads to general disgust at the name of flax rope. When the fibre is well handled at every stage it might be possible to spin it so fine as to suit the manufacture of the articles referred to, but the cost of spinning, winding, warping, weaving, and making bags and woolpacks would absorb the full value of those articles now imported, and the quantity of flax required to make a substitute for any production of jute or gnnny would be greater, and of itself would cost more, than the finished article as imported. Therefore such goods would cost double the amount now paid. With regard to matting either for doors, (floors, or passages, the enormous weight reIjuiied. to make the ordinary bulk and appearance of similar products makes people think that the cheaper production of goals and other public institutions pf the old countries will perve their purposp better. There are only #ome five or six free, labour workshops in Great Britain where such manufacture is carried on, and all of them are on a small scale. If flax was spun and twisted from different colours of dyed fibre, a class of door mats and hearthrugs with other ornamental articles might be made advantageously. Bj weaving a kind of fringed stripe according to any desired design, and then cutting the same in the form of chenille, it may again be woven on another warp, and the most diverse, beautiful, simple; or complex design is producible. Flax might be held as unworthy of such high class workmanship, but its silky twine would be so beautiful that I thiiik some of the numerous weavers in this colony — and there name is legion — might try it with advantage. I have previously been offered both wages and machinery to establish the first mentioned manufactures, but I have denied myself She vain glory and temporary benefit that might have- been possible, as I felt con"fldent that failure would certainly result. Relative to " Agricola's "■ proposition to yfcilise the gum of -flax by boiling off the

water, it appears a somewhat expensive and awkward^ method. Surely some chemical or meohanioal method might be applied with advantage. Possibly some kind of separator might suit, or the addition of something in the water to precipitate the gum and be less expensive than a process of boiling so much water for what would sometimes be a small quantity of gum. I have read pomewhere-^I think it was relative to sugar, in a cyclopaedia of medicine arid surgery published by Houlston and Wright — that gum which is soluble in water, when boiled in such with sulphuric aoid, gives sugar, and the fact that the flowers of flax contain a sweet secretion in conjunction with another fact that alcohol is easily developed from any part of the plant, and also from a series of other facts— that it has a great tendency to acidify, that acetic acid, sugar, and alcohol are of the same identical elements, and, if I may coin an ' expression, they may have their properties ' transposed in such a manner that all may be so changed as to represent eaoh other's properties by an alteration of the relative proportions of the component elements — leads me to think that all the essential properties of flax point to it as a source of sugar, alcohol, acetic acid, and similar combinations. Here, then, is a field for scientific and practical industry ; but where are the parties who have faith and the required j capital P Its medicinal properties alone contain a mine of wealth— ifc is tonic, and tends to purify the blood. Its roots are equal, if not superior, to Turkish rhubarb. Beer properly made from it is bettor than any other I have tasted, and those who object to alcohol can try and remove it. Fine, cheap fuddling for the toper this, with no headache in the morning. A correspondent stated some timeago that he intended growing the plant for its honey, but as it appears to flower only once in three years it would ba too expensive for this purpose. It will not pay to cultivate flax on present lines, and no sane, sensible) shrewd farmer would try it on if he calculated probable results., By comparison with European flax it is nowhere either as regards profit or, utility, and why take four or five years to grow inferior fibre when so much superior and more markefr able fibre might be . produced p If farmers would properly prepare selected ground with, fair shelter they would be handsomely rewarded by growing the latter, but if they, foolishly allow it to run to seed for the sake of 5s per. bushel they would not only scourge .their lands, but considering labour abd risk, they would be small gainers by comparison. .Ifc is not safe to cover too much ground with' such crops until the ground pests are destroyed. Hemp is not only' a profitable crop, either for fibre or seed, but it is a specific for killing all the grubs, and does not scourge the soil, but makes it ready for almost any other crop. Like : New Zealand flax, however, it is very refractory in regard to decortication or the mode of dressing.

Viewing the subject of New Zealand flax as a whole, it has hitherto proved both a source of wealth and of failure. A few only haye found the way of making it pay well. Its fluctuating price, its liability to fire, the -frequent failures from injudicious, untrained persons engaging to strip the fibre by elaborate and expensive preparations, frequently in places where no payable flax can betound, and the occasional uninsdrable damagearisingf rom water on a sea voyage,in conjunction with damage arising from continued bad weather, have made great numbers so timid that the gates of capital are practically shut against it. lam of opinion, and I may podsiblyfind some way in practice to prove it, that one year's growth of New Zealand flax would be more valuable than four or five ; but it woujd entail the exercise of great care and skill in preparation, as it is a sensitive, softlyconstituted plant, and very^easily deteriorated. Those persons who have been in the habit of propounding different methods of preparation, such as decortication, ought to know that as all fibres are deteriorated more or less by such a process, 'New Zealand flax would Bimply be made 'useless at a greater cost than by the present mode. Unless a fibre worth from £100 to £20,0 can be produced from it' I don't think it is worth a moment's consideration more than it has already received. — I am, &c, J. W. Castle street, Dunedin, July 26.