FLAX RESEARCH.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4507, 20 September 1930, Page 3

FLAX RESEARCH.

COMMITTEE REPORT ,S PROGRESS.

A meeting of the Flax Research Committee, set up by the Now Zealand Council of 'Scientific and Industrial Research, was held in Palmerston North yesterday. Mr. A. Seifert presided and there were also present: Mr. O’Callagban (as-sistant-secretary of the Scientific and Industrial Research Department), Dr. Maelaurin (ex-director of the Dominion Laboratory), 'Mr. A. H. Codknyne (assistant-direc-tor of the Agricultural Department), Messrs E. T. Frost: and H. A. Seifert (representing the Flaxmillers’ Association), Professor Easterfield (Director of the Cawthron Institute) and Professor Peren (Principal of Massey College). Dr. Yates was also present bv invitation.

Mr. Maelaurin submitted a very encouraging report on the bleaching of llax fibre, indicating disatinet, possibilities of success in the application of chemistry to the bleaching of the fibre. Dr. Yates' report showed that a large number of different strains of Phormium tenax (New Zealand ilax) had been collected and were being raised in the nurseries with ;i view to selecting- the best varieties for propagation. These, reports will be embodied in the annual report of the Research Department and will appear in the journal of Scientific and Industrial Research, also issued by the Department.

TRIBUTE TO WORK OP MASSEY COLLEGE STAFF. NEW AVENUES POR: NEW ZEALAND FIBRE. A fine tribute was paid to the work of Dr. J. S. Yeates and Mr. Meadows hi connection with llax research by.. Mr. A. Seifert •at Thursday's annual meeting of the N.Z. Flax millers’ Association. Mr. Seifert su'd that he had possibly been in closer touch with the research work carried out at Massey College than any other member of the Association. and lie considered that in Dr. Yeates and Mr. Meadows the Research Committee had two men who wjofrei talented, energetic and conscientious in their work. The work recently undertaken by Mr. Meadows bad been of particular interest' to the speaker. Mr. Meadows had secured seedling plants and placed them in jars of distilled water which contained the various elements necessary for their sustenance. In one jar the liquid contained every element necessary to pliormium tenax and the sample was growing quite vigorously. In the jar alongside, the dements 'were all complete with the exception of phosphate and the plant looked somewhat sickly. In the next jar potash was deleted and then again the plant was most miserable and. so on. The experiment plainly showed that the shortage of any one element was very detrimental to the growth of the (lax. Experiments on exactly the same lines as those adopted by stock or plant breeders were undertaken. Hundreds of varieties lmd been collected and observed with the object of selecting the best plants Nature provides and then crossing the strains for ctven better species. It was the raw material that was required most in connection with the industry or any industry as without good raw material the miller could 'not produce a good finished article. Touching on bleaching, Mr. Seifert said that Dr. Meulaurin was wording away steadily in this connection and although a tremendous *Jot was already known of this method of preparing fibre they did not know sufficient to satisfy the millers that it would ibe profitable to change over from the old method of dressing fibre to that of bleaching. They had only a little ' further to go however before perfection would be reached arid the speaker said that only a day or so ago he had tested some fibre bleached seven years ago and had found that it withstood the strength test equally as well as the paddoeked article. The best bleached hanks he had ever seen had come from Germany. At the request of a certain firm he had sent some hanks over to Germany and the article lie had received badk had been as white as Sisal. As the letter accompanying the h'anlks had been in German he had been unable to read it but had been told that the cost of the bleaching would be in. the vicinity of £lO per ton, which of course would ibe prohibitive. If the cost could be reduced to between £2 and £3 per ton possibly ' something could be done with' the method. Dr. Maelaurin was reviewing the process however, to. see if there had been any mistake in formulating the estimate.

Washington, U.S.A., had. also .sent over for , some hanks for experimental purposes which they were testing' free of cost with a view to ascertaining the suitability of the article for paper manufacture. A report in this connection was expected to reach the speaker within a day or so. In conclusion, Mr. Seifert said that in their selection of research officers the Association had been particularly fortunate. Ur. Yeates and Mr. Meadows were two earnest, hard working and energetic men and within the next few years he hoped to hear of their success in regard to their work. Mr. C. 11. Speirs (Shannon) referred to a process at present being experimented with by Mx. Stevens of Shannon whereby he clamed to be able to extract the

gum from the loaf which was detrimental to the successful dyeing of the New Zealand article. s He was experimenting with a view also to supplying New Zealand fibre suitable for the Union goods trade, an entirely new avenue for New Zealand flax products.

Mr. A. Fraser said that the hanks demonstrated to the Association by Mr. Stevens at a recent meeting had been an eye-opener. Mr. Speirs said colour was not necessary for the Union goods trade as the fibre was torn to pieces, rebuilt and dyed. 'Mr. A. 'Seifert said that he had recently received a letter from a person in Chile, South Africa, who said that (lax had been successfully cultivated there for some years now and was being used for the production of sacks. Machinery for this purpose had been procured from Germany. The writer of the letter stated that thirty per cent, of he fibre had been obtained from the leaf which was very doubtful. The letter was interesting from the faet that it pointed out a possible new opening for New Zealand flax.