THE HEMP INDUSTRY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2546, 22 February 1923, Page 2

THE HEMP INDUSTRY.

YELLOW LEAF DISEASE.

RESEARCH WORK ABANDONED.

Mr A. Seifert, president of the Now Zealand Flaxmillers’ Association, interviewed 1 yesterday at Palmerston by a “Standard” reporter threw some interesting light on the condition and prospects of the flax industry. For some time past millers have been experimenting in research work with a view to producing a disease-resisting llax, and a plant that will grow a higher percentage and yield a better quantity of fibre. This undertaking has had to be abandoned owing to the shortage of funds, and Mr Seifert adduced reasons for this step and gave a brief resume of the work so. far accomplished. “The research in which we are engaged,” he remarked, “was to find a flax with immunity to the yellow leaf disease. Before deciding on the flax to use in the mills —flax that is, without the disease we considered it necessary to test the fibre and quality in each card in order to supply the grower with a good seed that would give a good vield and a high quality fibre. “In addition to this work we ried our experiments with a view to finding a way of cutting the flax that would eliminate the damage to the roots, and the association will shortly issue invitations to the public to attend' the scene of the experiments to see what lias been done in this respect. We have found that cutting on the Y-shaped system causes so little damage to the roots that the next crop wall mature in less than two years, instead of four rears. “Another method of cutting the matured leaves has been tried with a view to finding the yield of the leaf. At the present time the experiments show that the yield 1 will he about two and a-half times higher than under the old method hut as an offset to the increased yield it will cost more to cut the flax, which is rather a serious matter when the price of hemp is very low.

“Another 1 experiment we have carried out is to ascertain the best time' for sowing seed. Last year we sowed in March and then every month until November to see what was the best time. A careful record has been kept of the kind of . [lax the seed was taken from. Seed was also picked from every variety of flax we eould'ffind for the purpose of seeing if the plant from the seed could produce the same kind of llax as the parent plant. Of course, if cross-pollenisation lias taken place, only a portion of the plant will grow true to the parent, but by careful selection we would be able to get the kind of flax growers want. This work, however, will take a long time—several vears in fact —to complete.

“Growers have supported the work of research by contributing to lbe fund, but the Government so far has only subsidised us to the extent of £l5O. I consider that we require at least £OOO per year to do the work properly, and, as funds are lacking, the whole enterprise lias had to stop.”