Linseed and Local Industry.

Patea Mail, 10 May 1882, Page 4

Linseed and Local Industry.

The following is the concluding portion of [a paper on the ‘‘ Culture ’ and Manufacture 1 of . European Flax,” read at the ClhbV meeting mi Saturday 1 by ■Mr’G. F; Barker : ' ::Li

In advocating the extended culture of fiax, I' do not do iso with a view to the production ,cf fibre only. My opinion ; is that' until; labor becomes more abundant and cheaper,"it won]d be nseless to.attempt its culture for that purpose alone. ; I think it should be cultivated especially for its seed, to be used for the manufacture of linseed oil; (known ' as Taw or boiled oil) and oil cake ; the residue of the crushed Se6d for siock-feeding purposes ; Snd the -fibre would be suitable for the manufacture of twibeahd paper.:

I may here mention that the method adopted at Courtrai, in the north of France, a district long famous for producing fibre of superior quality, is to allow ■ the crop to 1 stSnd until the seed ripens sufficiently to ! be 1 used for crushing fori Oil. : The- gCfieral systeni is to" 'prill the crop ‘ dire’ctly the lower 1 part ot the stem begins to assume a yellowish tinge, without reference to the seed, which is cbhsequetitly lost. Some idea of the 4 enormous quantity of twine’that would be required to tie : the "corn 'crop of this ’colony last harvest may be gathered from the fact that there’ Werb 677,000 : “ acres grown,’’arid by ; Ml6wing 31b‘d per acre (the amotiht used I 'of native flax twine), it would take 007 i: tohs ! ’weight"! but ! experience'’ has stoiivfi ’that ‘2l bs of European’ flax tWin'e is quite as ' effective as 1 3lbs made from our native flax. ‘ ! ’

‘The defnJand for flax fibre is almost uh-: limited' in the Home markets, as friay he• gathered from the fact that goods of the 1 ;ValAe • of 1 are' anmially mahii•factfired from 1 it,' 1 mdre/thdh. lyobO/000 pebple. Last year the quantity ! 6£ flax dhd 5 cake ! imported into Engl arid: exceeded 15 A great advantage in the preparation of the fibre Islbat 'so xr, d£Tr"®i^^S~dsßF^^i^e^sfir; land- the operations, arevso simple that the inexperienced soon become experts. The, fibre can also be'pfofitabiy utilised in tho manufacture of p#e&V kfi§;CK)|j are anniiallyjentdbutl of this colony for printing paper alone. The foljowirig-ieturn furnished by the . Inspector-of-Customs shews the’ quantities •of" linsebdj? ‘ rape f fcsdte*),* and castor oils imported' ’ ititoYNeW Zealand - during the course, b^ T ThiS iinie are largely increas'd ' f ' __ *’•* I ' lJ rM j Li p se’ed*' 0$ .u. f: 106; OlT’gal lons. I : ‘JKa^e-CcolSa)' ! *::!** 2fs(H».‘ V!: ,V ir ' ! 1 i Castor 74j605 » - i i

the whole of which might easily liave •beeri produced by Ourselves. ; : The demand for castor oil is rapidly in-, 'creasing on account, of its suitability for the lubricationof machinery ; and the castor oil plants (being of a semi-tropical class) worild thrive here. 'it is easy of growtbparid well Suited to the holders of email-farms. The Colonial demand f6r Uirisbed-oil-cake is at present almost nil, obit the price! of the imported: article is £2O to £25- per tori] and a trade in infeiibr ( quafity ! for adulteration s carried on in its ' manufacture :: to a*, large t extent> indeed | “ Granting that a large number of our farm--ers are prepared to devote a feW acres each -t&4he> gfoWthpf flax in the coming 'the:nekt matter) for consideration will be 1 the <niosfc economical 1 methbd tb adopt for vutiliffirig the product. "T considertbat the Joiflyidihnce'bf Our 'floating ‘this industry is by the formation'-of a company, arid in ■sdbs'ih^pu^essl ) ' TbereWill ! fee no diffi J ‘(iiilty Tri our 1 'prbciiririg d-gorid site 1 Say 50 acres of grasped land having a good Stream ‘tif Wilier' furiping* ! thniugh it. ‘ A We should H&t.flaU t6 ;i fiWdj a;niSri whb ’ w6uld ; J cbmpefent io act as workipg .fbreiiian 1 pf There are many, ihich" ineri in tins colony . whoj ' wonlS‘fee glad of tfee opportunity to work :.fn. u-.W * .-Ui ! r r [ jThe growers -,of flax, wonlq ,a .guaraptfie ip; /take.. the .crop f of ; .,a qbi’t^ini number ,of acres ®dd:b be properlygtpwnQnclcan land] andthat the iatraw be not less than a certain lengtlfflt'a certain price; for ifwe . considered to poll the icrop,i the//expenses be heavier, on sbortthan long straw, :although- 'att , ’fequal crop'Pf'seed* rtti^hfc -'feiibtaitfe^frhfe^ach.;; ! f " j ’ T^f-the land has been ' well ll in ‘yferbad ibnda and freb ffbirij weedsi'a mower.. can be sef sb‘ close!^o: rt that very little ’wfisle ; of fibre r juwd T re^ilt ; ; froip ; paying crop an tins manner, but wet ntustj bcar,in ! .min j d j j l that there is more fibre in one inch of the butt; than three or four inches at jthe top of the

■plantr* : ~~ " y Thejstrawfshould Jot be! passed through an ordinary threshing machine, as this ii useless fbr fibre purposes/ But I am told'that 'smfpie machine made with two rollers through which the flax could? capSbl&of threshing out tho. ; seed halls : without ipjtiry tpl the fibre and with a winnower attached, 1 can be made here for about £4ol■ i ■ \A. \ \ 'L :

The next step ,iV. the separation of the fibre' ifrom' tlie straw,' and preparing it fori , 9 aleJ 1 Tffie’ bid method of hand-breaking r and; scutching,will not answer our purpose at all, -with our* present rate of wages. .1 fiiid/th'flt 1 the American Eibre Company of Philadelphia use a flax brake capable; of breaking and scutching .the straw; at one operation in the -most' rapid and complete manner; and I think .wo shall find one of these machines to be the ihost suitable for our purpose.,-; snt.yP u cannot of course scutch the flax; until it ihas been steeped or rotted in tanks or dams ‘of water, or what is called deWrotted by means of spreading the straw on the grass, * The Object of both methods is the* same, vie. to decompose’ the gummy matter which'holds the fibre to the stem. This operation takes about three weeks,

but the i exdct i according to weather and the heat of the atmosphere. The condition of theVfibre entirely 'depends 4 upontho manner in which ifc'has’ been rotted , and it la in this process principally’ that experience is required in preparing flax fibre for the hlarketJ'l tnay mention here however that experiments are being made for the purpose of separating the fibre from the stalk'by means of chemicals, but it is doubtful whether : they will bo able to do so satisfactorily. - The Company would require lo erect an oil mill, but this. can be. done at a comparatively small cost. A description of Mr F, Singer’s oil factory in Dunedin, was read ; and Mr Barker concluded by saying ; —You see by this that the industry is being taken in hand by one man, and cannot therefore require a very large amount of capital. In conclusion, t urge upon the farmers of this district the importance of taking up this matter, and the formation of a company to carry out the extraction of .oil and the preparation' of the fibre. , ,

A committee was then appointed by the Club to qollect further information and calf a puhlic meetihg ih Patea/’'