Manawatu Herald TUESDAY. OCTOBER 7. 1919. N.Z. FLAX IN IRELAND.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 2038, 7 October 1919, Page 2

Manawatu Herald TUESDAY. OCTOBER 7. 1919. N.Z. FLAX IN IRELAND.

A RECENT is>ue of (Ik; Kew Bulletin, (he official organ of (lie Kew (lanlcii.', London, .stales (hat (lie successful cultivation of New Zealand llax in South-West Ireland South-West Scotland, and possibly the South of England, is a definite possibility. The article consists mainly of an account of Lord Yentry’s experiments in County Kerry, and is illustrated by several photographs of New Zealand llax under cultivation in Ireland, showing a remarkably vigorous growth. The fibre of this Irish-grown flax has been tested in Belfast, and, it is slated, lias been found almost as good as ‘‘good fair’’ imported fibre from New Zealand, which, in July, 1914, was valued at £34 a ton. The leaves, as paper-making inaterial, have been well reported on by the' Irish Pa par .Mills Company, near Dublin. “Nature,” the English scientific .journal, commenting cm the experiments, says: —“The possibility of growing New Zealand llax for making binder twine and high-grade string and cord in the British Isles is of-considerable importance. It is pointed out that only certain parts of the Unite! Kingdom are suitable for the growth of Now Zealand llax as a commercial undertaking, but as the results so far obtained are, promising, it is to bo hoped that every encouragement will be given to the enterprise, which promises to yield a sound financial return ta the impoverished farmers, in the SouthWest oT Ireland in particular.”