INTERIM REPORT OF THE FLAX COMMISSIONERS.

Southland Times, Issue 1249, 13 May 1870, Page 3

INTERIM REPORT OF THE FLAX COMMISSIONERS.

In reply to the circular issued, comparatively few returns have been received ; but those sent in give such an amount of useful information, as to justify its publication in an interim report. \. more complete and detailed one will be laid before the General Assembly during its next Session. The intention of the circular was to elicit information on the growth, culture, and manufacture of the INew Zealand flax ; and in these remarks the same order will be followed: — I. G-rowth asd Culture. — It may be taken for granted that flax will grow from 'teed; though the natives never adopt this mode, but always transplant it, and for this obvious reason that it takes three years to mature flax from seed, while by transplanting it can be ready in two years, or, if planted in suitable soil, earlier. The seed should be pulled as the pods begin to open. This occurs in February and March, and it should be sown at once according to one return, or in spring according to others. But the general impression is that the seed should be tested before being sown, and various modes have been suggested for this purpose. 1. Steep the seed in water of about 110 ° heat for about five hours, or till it falls to the bottom. What then floats may be considered bad or non-produc-tive. 2. Put seed in a bag and deposit it for about three hours in a bed of refuse of -the flax, which heats very much. Then put it in water, as above, to test its vitality. 3. Feed fowls with flax seed, and place deposit in earth. The seed should be sown in beds or boxes, for convenience, where it remains till it grows to two or three inches in height, when it should be transplanted into nursery beds. When the plants are a year old they should be planted out in their permanent locality. Flax will grow in almost any soil, but soil is not material, except for quality. One return says it grows best on light rich soil— by the sides of rivers and brooks, where sheltered from the wind. Another says it grows best on rich dry, bnt not deep, clay soil, having yellow clay subsoil, with plenty of light and air. The same authority also says that deep alluvial' soil is very suitable; but the greatest crops are reared on high volcanic soil. Another return says that a well-drained swamp gives largest returns, and this fact has been verified by observation in the Upper Waikato and elsewhere. Stagnant marshes are prejudicial to the growth of flax, but as soon as they are drained, and the water sweetened, the same flax will grow rapidly. The drains should be open, and the water therein should flow about 12 inches below the surface. If practicable, swamp land should . be ploughed as soon as it is dry enough for the purpose, and allowed to remain all summer, or till March, when it should be again ploughed, and planted immediately thereafter. The soil will be well p/alverised by that time. Should the land become very dry in summer, the drains might be stopped, so as to irrigate the "soil ; for any land that is periodically inundated is very suitable for promoting rapid growth. Alluvial soil should also be ploughed in winter or spring, and allowed to dry till autumn, when it should again be ploughed, and planted out, that is, in March or April, or as soon as the autumn rains arrive— in fact, the earlier the better," for the plants make roots all winter and are ready to come away with a vigorous growth in spring. One return recommends trenching and . subsoil ploughing, but it is thought that, at present, either process would be too expensive, and might kill the plant by depriving it of the impermeable substratum that retains the water necessary for the rapid development of the flax. If, however, the experiment is wished to be tried, the process is this : — Select a piece of open ground, well sheltered from sweeping winds — near a creek or river — in extent, according to the supply required ; dig it two feet deep, and in the course of digging mix plenty of two-year-old manure thoroughly with the soil. As soon as the seed is matured sow in drills two feet apart. When the plants are large enough to handle, thin them out to four inches apart. In the course of the season water the plants liberally, and keep them free from weeds. If seedlings are used, a crop of cabbages, cauliflowers, mangold, turnips, carrots, or any crop deemed desirable, may be grown alternately with the flax during the first two years. But the suggestor of this plan has evidently never put it to the practicable test, or he must have found the expense of the process fatal to its success. Beyerting to the method of cultivating by transplanting, the plants should be sown in rows, and in the same way as trees are planted ; but the returns differ a3 to the distance from row to row, and from each plant in a row. It seems to be overlooked that planted flax will not be allowed to grow into large bushes, as it does in the uncultivated state. On the contrary, theconstant cutting which will ■be carried on will confine it within a comparatively limited space. The roots thrown out by the' first plants will undoubtedly spread around it ; but still it will always be practicable to keep the bunches within a small space. With this view the tows might only be four feet apart,.and only three feet between each plant in a row. At all events, the quantity of soil that would be saved in this way would justify the experiment on " a small scale. In this case, the roots should be planted across the lines in rows. Six feet is generally recommended to be between each row and 7 each plant, because closer planting might impoverish the soil. But it should be kept in view that flax needs shelter, and the near proximity of the plants to each other would afford this, and assist in drawing up leaves, and ia making finer

; fibre. If suitable land is chosen it is thought that impoverishment of soil will not result from the close planting. With the view of still further econo- • mising space, it is suggested that about F ten or twelve rows should be planted, . then a break of about 10 or 12 feet ) should be left for drays to pass along and I collect fl.ix when cut.' Then other 10 or s 12 rows should be planted, then another break, and so on. The size of the ground > to be planted must, however, regulate , thiß so far. I About 1000 roots planted six feet ? apart each way will cover an acre of land, but if the land is planted 4 feet by » 3, feet, as recommended above, about onel third more will be required for an acre. \ In one bush of flax there will be from • 20 to 50 roots for transplanting. i The returns differ also as to the number of roots that should be planted together ; , , 1, 2, and 3 are variously recommended. If I 2 or 3 are planted together a larger space j of ground would require to be left around . ' Care should be taken to avoid planting > the centre portion of an old plant, which ■ is not so productive aa young shoots, and ■ has a tendency to run to flower, when it I requires more nourishment than all the i leaves do. The flower-stalk should therefore be cut down as early as possible, and ; when this is done the cut part should be ; rubbed over with a little earth to prevent i "bleeding." But if the close planting shall be adopted, only one root should be planted 1 at one place. :' The time it takes for maturing and for cutting the leaves is still an unsettled ; question. It is pretty certain that flax grown from seed will not be ready to cut ' sooner than 3 years. But" where suckers are planted the leaves will be ready in 2 years. The quality and position of the soil will greatly affect this" question. In favorable circumstances some will be ready in 12 months. Messrs Bees and Gibson, of Kangitiki, mention in their return that leaves cut in August were replaced by others in February following, about 4 feet in length, and Messrs Cummiags, Finnimore and Co., Wanganui, after 3 years' experience, say that succeeding leavesare ready in about 8 months after previous cutting. They have even cut one entire bush growing in swamp land, and could cut again in that time. This statement, however, is not supported by the other evidence. When the rotation of cropping shall be established, from 2 to 6 leaves may be cut from each root every 6, 8, or 12 months, according to soil, care, and attention. The maturity of the leaf is ascertained by its texture and firmness, or by its being split at the point, or by the recurving of the blades from the central midriffs. The leaf of the best flax should be over 5 feet in length, excluding the butt. The top of the leaf, says Mr Locke, should feel soft to the touch and droop a little ; this occurs in winter. The natives say that the flax should not be cut from the time the flowering-stalk shoots until it dies again, as the fibre is then brittle, and of a red tinge ; and during the winter they carefully preserve their flax swamps. But if a permanent supply is to be kept up, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to comply with their notions ; and hence it has been suggested, as one mode of remedying this, that the flower stalk should be cut, but the best time for cutting it requires experience ; it is thought the sooner the better. The question of fencing the cultivated ground must also be considered and provided for. Cattle will not only destroy the outer leaves, but also the very life of the plant, by eating the heart of it. This is an undoubted fact ; indeed it was the mode which the cow used to get the epidermis off the fibre which suggested to Mr Whytlaw the machine he invented for dressing it. Some law must therefore be passed to protect parties investing large capital in cultivating a plant that is so likely to be beneficial to the Colony. The reckless burning of flax land should be put a stop to by legislative authority. The general understanding is, that in cutting flax only the outer leaves should be cut, and that in doing so great care should be taken not to injure the leaves which enclose the centre shoot. With this view the knife should be inserted at the leaf enclosing the centre shoot, and the outside leaves, 2 or 3 on each side, cut downwards and slanting outwards ; but no leaf should be cut before maturity, as this also weakens the plant and makes* it liable to go to flower. Another return says that in uncultivated swa?np land all the plant may be cut down, and that in 12 months therefrom there will be an entire new crop ready, and if the land shall be drained a second, crop may be got in 8 months ; but this probably may be explained by the previous existence of undeveloped j plants in the land which take the place of those destroyed. The same return says that in cultivated flax only the outside leaves should be cut, and that in four months thereafter another supply could be got. But it will require very favorable circumstances to secure this. G-ood soil does not require manure in order to make flax grow ; but after the second or third year a top dressing of refuse of flax, preserved for the purpose and thoroughly decomposed, would keep down weeds, and assist roots by sheltering them from the sun, and by supplying the exact mineral constituents required for the growth of the plant. Well fermented stable or other manure would assist greatly, if the question of expense is of no importance. Bone dust is also very suitable. About 20 tons of decomposed manure would be required for each acre cultivated. But, as already stated, if the land can be periodically inundated by the overflow of running streams carrying sediment, no manure whatever need be used. The natives do not use ; manure though they prepare the soil with . great care. A supply of the best kinds of seed may be procured at Whanganui, Taranaki, . Hawke's Bay, Waikato, and indeed any- • where in the North Island. Thenativeß

should be employed to procure these, and roots too, if required. Some assert that the seeds of the different varieties are gradually being blended together by the action of the bees, so that by-and-bye it '.vill be di Sicult to get supplies of any distinct kind. It is also stated that there is a triennial development of the flowerstalks and seeds, which only then reach maturity, and that during the two intermediatey ears it would be extremely difficult to get the seed in quanity. During the last year the supply has been remarkably abundant all over the country. It is difficult to name the best kinds of flax for cultivation, as different tribes and localities have different names for the same variety ; most probably soil, climate, and cultivation has more to do with this than is generally believed. Mr Nairn, of Pourerere, Hawke's Bay, says there are four kinds of flax, named by the natives in his neighborhood, the Tapoto, the Wharanui, the Kawhangaroa, and the Wharariki. The Tapoto is the flax principally used by natives for dressing. It gives a strong lustrous fibre, and is readily dressed io their way. It is often planted by them. It luxuriates in very rich vegetable soil with plenty of moisture, and will grow, in favorable situations, to the height of four feet. The leaves are narrow and stand erect, have a deep purple margin, and this kind is planted by the natives in rows 20 feet apart. The Wharanui is the other kind used by the natives for the same purpose, and is planted in the same way. This variety grows much better, and has a much wider leaf with a red margin, and is found in the same localities as the Tapoto. The Kawhangaroa is a dark green, and very tall growing variety, with a black margin to the leaves. The leaves bend outwards, and are dressed by the natives only for baskets and matting. It is never planted by them, and is very easily broken with a jerk. The Warariki is very broad and tall in its leaf, and is used by the natives for the same purpose as the Kawhangaroa. The fibre is also very tender,, and never used by, natives except for kits, &c. This variety is found in the richest of the ao il s — bottoms of small valleys, by the sides of streams, and is never planted by the natives. The Eev. Mr Taylor, of Wanganui, gives ten varieties of flax, several of which are cultivated and used by natives for their own purposes. And Mr Armstrong of Christchurch, gives twelve varieties, which, he says, are cultivated in the G-overnment Domain there. He says the most distinct varieties are — (1) The One. — Leaf narrow, very strong, edges of leaves orange colored. (2) The Atiraukawa. — Leaf broad, light green, abrupt at the points, edges light brown. (3) Hukiroa. — Leaf very long, tapering at the pom*;, edges light brown. (4) Tihore. — Leaves linear, very strong, edges dark red. (5) Tapoto. — Similar to Tihore, tapering at the points, edges red. (6) Kawhangaroa. — Leaves very large, coarse-looking, edges and base of leaf dark brown, and two variegated forms. Mr Armstrong has furnished the Commissioners with the weights of several of these varieties, both before and after being dressed, viz: — Weight before "Weight after dressing. dressing.

But this does not show the relative market value of each variety, so as to show which sort it is most advisable to cultivate, and it may be that Mr Armstrong's experiments have been performed on several specimens of these plants not indigenous to his province, and bat recently introduced there. I (To be continued.)

lb. oz. oz. Kawiiaugaroa ... 014 2£ Kuroa ... ... 1 12 5 Hue 16 ?i Tihore 1 13 5* Rutaroa 16 4| Tapoto 3 4 9f . Variegated kiud ... 3 5 10