The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1877-12-06
@4pertmemtal.
New Zealand Flax in the South.

~ lCihCo lCSCliIDILI1 Tx Jh1.
and which, proceeding from the root,
encircle the stem. This latter rises
single to the height of several feet.
and then branching out, bears a num-
Der of small yellow flowers.
The fibrous part OF the leaves is pos
sessed of great ~tenacity and strength.
and with very little preparatory labor
Is converted by the natives into cloth
ing and cordage, which latter IS found
to be much stronger than that made
from hemp. Of another preparation
produced from the same plant, long.
slender fibres of a beautiful whitene5s.
and having the lustre of silk, the ma
tives make their best clothes.
The leaves are from three to seven
feet long and from two to three inches
broad, and yield % per cent. of mer-
charitable fibre, which IS yellowish and
composed of bast cells mixed with
ducts and cambium cells.
The Dast cells are 0.U0S-0.01S9 MILL
metres broad, and 2.7-5.6 - miilimctres
long. These form the raw fibre, which
often exceeds a yard in length. Plants
three years old Will, on an average.
yield thirty-siX leaves. besides. a very
considerable increase of offsets. which
leaves being cut down in the autumn.
~ III IN 1AAD#~AAA5
summer. SIX leaves will produce one
ounce of prepared dry fibre, scutched
and cleaned, at which rate an acre of
land, cropped with these plants grow
ing at three feet distance from each
other, VIII yield rather more than SIN
teen weight per acre Il great
produce compared with that OF hemp
O. flax. 1t has likewise the advantage
of being cleansed with very little labor
or trouble, as compared with eAoge-
nous plants.
The leaves are cut when full crown,
and macerated for a few DAYS in stag
nant water; they are then PASSED
through rollers and Scutchers in a rude
way. BY these means the tibres be-
come separated, and when washed in
a running stream of pure water, be-
come white.
This plant has been tried in the south
of England and Ireland. where the
leaves attained a height of four to six
feet. 1t has also been introduced in
the south of France and in Algicrs /:
also III South Carolina, where ii IS 10Y
growing IN a wild state {; and as it can
scarcely be distinguished by the unin-
ltlated from the yucca, which Is found
growing all owe the southeastern
States, it practically amounts to moth
ing. 1t is propagated by offsets which
should not be parted till the parent
stock is four years old. April or May
is the most favorable season to do this.
Its importation into European markets
Is limited, OF account of the difficulty
up to this time III preparing 1t, for
want of machinery.
The Society of Arts, New Zealand,
offers a premium of $3.50 over the sell
inr ,rinn IF tha n,oabipn hnct oaIcIIa-
ted to it. The Auckland gov
eminent offers a prize of $4,000 to the
first person who will by his own in
yention produce forty tons Sc prepared
as not to exceed 1925 per ton in cost,
ready for market and $4,000 to the
next five persons who may JOIN and
work up twenty tons, by any II IN
vention, SC as to produce the same adj
vantage.
Many attempts have been made to
discover the proper methods OF pre-
pairing New Zealand flax, but all have
been unvarying failures. a machine
that will clean eXogenous plants viii
not clean the endogenous. These lat
ter plants present different character
istics, inasmuch as the leaves of some
species present on one side a hard,
glazed, un%yielding surface. and on the
other, soft and PUPPY besides. there IS
al acid reaction III the sap or juices OF
some plants. which SO affects the me-
tallic machinery as to render them
practically worthless after a short
time. These difficulties have been OBJ
waited by the recent invention of a
machine which it is confidently ex-
pected will be perfect, at least for en-
d~ogenous plants.
The awards very wisely offered by
the New Zealand government. nov
aggregate 100000 for the invention OF
machinery and a process of preparing
it for market.
1t can now be had roughly prepared
for shipment in New Zealand at forty
or fifty dollars a ton. If prepared for
spinnerS' use it is worth in this market
four or five hundred dollars per ton.
and the shorts, tow, or noils, is worth
for bank note paper makers use 800 a
ton.
The author is strongly of the opinion
that analogous characteristics OF soil
with equal. If not superior climate tol
the cultivation of New Zealand flax Is
to be found in South Carolina, Geor-
gia. North Carolina, Alabama, North
Mississippi, Tennessee, Southern Ar
kansas, West Louisiana, and North
western and Eastern Texas: and, il
fact, the rolling and hill country ol
the Southern States. 1t a be propa
gated from the seeds from the offset,
and from the root cuttings and VII
require no cultivation after the frs
year, except keeping the ground mod
~erately clean. which may be done hes
by c~uItivating some small roo crop o
herbaceous plant. the best of which
appears to be the sweet potato, pea
nuts, the grapevine trimmed low o
cotton.
Cotton planters who already hav'
their cotton-fields, tools. power anC
labor, are already half way prepared
to undertake the culture of this plant
as with the power with which the.
run their gins, they may utilize II
running the fibre machine, and wit
their presses the fibre may be baled
ready market is at hand with no fear
of a glut, or deterioration from bein!
kept.
Extracts from a Lecture on Ag