HELP FOR FLAX INDUSTRY

Taranaki Daily News, 25 September 1930, Page 2

HELP FOR FLAX INDUSTRY

RESEARCH COMMITTEE’S WORK. IMPORTANT RESULTS OBTAINED. A great deal of very valuable work for the flax industry has been accomplished by the Phormium Committee of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. The programme of investigation has consisted of: (1) Selection and breeding ivork conducted by Dr. J. S. Yeates at Massey Agricultural College; (2) chemical investigations on bleaching of fibre treatment by Dr. J. 8. Maclaurin; .and (3) investigations abroad at the Imperial Institute, Plymouth Cordage Co., ami the Bureau of Standards into the utilisation of flax fibre in industry. No less than 250 strains are represented, in the fans at present planted on the area at the x college farm, xvhere very satisfactory growth has been made, and the number of these has been increased by a valuable collection of Maori varieties, selected many years ago in the Taranaki district. One acre planted in fans of a single good variety is growing satisfactorily. The first seedlings grown arc now*about two years old. These are from pod by pod planting of seed from fans in the college collection, and the plants themselves yield valuable information as to the breedng behaviour ot the strains selected, and will give some idea regarding inherited, characteristics. None of the twenty strains grown in the first year has been found to breed true, but from these seedlings true breeding strains of good quality will be selected. In the hybrid seedlings an endeavour has been made to combine the disease resistant and excellent fibre qualities of one strain with the heavy cropping powers of another. Success has attended the crossing of several excellent varieties, which, crossed with the yellow leaf resistant (Scfert’s superior), have yielded some thousands of seedlings ’which will be useful in further investigations. Yellow’ leaf disease is also attacked by the application of manures, and a toLil of some five acres has been set apart ior this work. The search is still continuing for strains of flax which show a special resistance to yellow leaf, while Mr. Meadows has been engaged in the isolation of fungi and bacteria from disease affected plants in order to ascertain the cause of the trouble. So far in this work no specific organism causing the disease has been isolated. At the present time some 2| acres are under flax at the experimental area at the college, and it is proposed to extend this by a further three acres, which will be planted out during the present year. Dr. Maclaurin has provided a report of a number of experiments wherein chemical bleaches were used for treating fibre’ The estiinated costs involved ranged from 16s to sls per ton. rur(her work is now being done with a view to gaining additional information regaining suitable chemical bleaching agents. Several consigments of flax have been dispatched overseas, for the purpose o. arranging strength and manufacturing tests. The Bureau of Standards has manufactured from New Zealand phormium fibre some samples of paper snowing distinctly good, qualities. The strength tests carried out at the Imperial Institute, in conjunction with the British Admiralty, have shown that Now Zealand phormium fibre possesses good powers of endurance when exposed to sea water conditions, and compares in this respect very favourably with other vegetable fibres. - * The committee has investigated a number of problems connected with the establishment of phormium plantations, and has examined a large number of improved methods for processing fibres which have been brought to its notice.