FLAX-GROWING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81849, 20 September 1906, Page 2

FLAX-GROWING.

AN OPENING FOR TARANAKI. There seems to be a good thing in flax, and there seems no reason why 1 aranaki should not get more of the good thing than at present. As yet very little has been done inthe direction of cultivating the plant, but nevertheless the sale of it has been responsible for the payment of some fairly large cheques to many farmers along the coast between New Plymouth and Opunake, the flax being collected from the cliffs and other practically waste lands. There is, one might say, a minimum of labour, and a maximum of profit, for the present-day flax vendor simply cuts the green flax, ties it in bundles, and carts it to the nearest flax-mill. There is easy money in flax, and the Maoris know it. They cut it and sell it, too. They can see easily earned cash in cultivating it, and at various places along the Main South road can be seen luxuriant patches under cultivation. And the cultivation .Beems simple enough—just plant the roots, let them grow for three years; then cut the crop and market it. Then wait another three years for another crop, and there you are. Proper aTtention will, of course, secure a rotation of crops year by year, and the flax can be gathered and sold just when there are no big milk cheques about, which must be reckoned as an item in its favour.

During the last few weeks large quantities of flax have been cut from the cliffs along- the Oakura foreshore, and waggons and drays have been carrying it to the mill at Warea. An ordinary bu"ock-dray on two wheels 1 will take a couple of tons, or more, whilst portions can be stacked on a bullock-waggon. The green flax is worth thirty shillings a ton delivered at the mill. That looks like an indus-. try that is worth a little attention on tile part of the Taranaki farmers. As yet there is no blight to worry about, and flax thrives fairly well in any season, so long as its roots can get down to moisture. Though many of our fo'k don't seem to know it, we have a couple of mills in the district that are reaching out for bigger supplies. They are situated at Warea and Pungarehu. The owner of the Pungarehu mi'.l is going the right way to make his concern a paying one—he is cultivating the flax, planning it with manure, and giving It more attention than it can get from nature on cliffs and in neglecte'd swamps. What is possible with him is possible in the case of scores if farmers who at present pay taxes on acres of land that grow nothing marketable. With a little labour they wou'd grow flax, and there seems no reason why flax growing should not soon become a big industry, run by farmers without great cost and without any injury to whatever branch of farming they may have taken up. But there are several kinds of flax, there are two and perhaps more, distinct varieties along the coast, dis- ' tinct even to the unpractised eye. One is a slow grower, and it's the better of the two. That is tha kind the Maoris are cultivating. A few clays ago the Minister of Lands was petitioned to place on the Estimates, to be paid in bonuses to the producers of the first five hundred tons of phormium tenae of good to fair average quality grown under cultivation. The Minister replied at some length, and seemed to know something of his subject, from his own experience it seemed that by growing flax from seed one would have to wait probably three years longer than by growing from plants. The Government, however, was not in a position to bonuses for flax-growing for the" simple reason that it did not know how to start about telling people the way to. earn the benus. It did not know which were the best varieties, how they should be planted, or anything about them. It could plant, perhaps, a thousand acres for the amount of tho bonus, and yet it might be won by men having only ten acres under flax. Although flax was peculiar to New Zealand, the scientific men of the •State had never touched it. The only research in flax had been, done at Canterbury College. If they had asked him to spend .£5,000 in learning what was to be learned, he was with them right up to the hi!t, but when they could not even tell' people how to go about earning the bonus, it would be unwise to offer it. Thfl Government was preparing a scbemq under which young who w.crQ going up for the degree of doctor of science at our colleges could apply the whole of their year's research plantwork to the investigation of- N«w Zealand materials. It had been arranged that at any rate one student each year would be engaged on investigation of the flax plant. The whole of their work then for the doctor's . or master's degree would be applied to that plant and the information procured would be the property of the Government antl wou'd be published'.' By, that means they hoped within the next few years to collect information that would enable the'm not only ja introduce better methods, but also to utilise by-products—an object which had been achieved with conspicuous success in connection with the disposal of olfal at freezing works, A Palmerston North farmer men- • tioned to the Minister that he'had ploughed and cross-ploughed a piecfl of his swamp, antj the c6st pf plant-' ing was five or six 'pounds. He Urged the Government to tako into consideration the planting of waste lands with flax. He. understood the Government" was sending flax plants to the neighbouring State of Victoria to encourage cultivation there. This seemed to him to be an unwise thing to do, ■ and he thought tho Government should reconsider its action.- ! ' There is some valuable information in the following extract' from thfi "Manawatu Farmer",' which 1 |sho\vi' that Mr 01 Gardiner hajj been making ing valuable experiments at Piaka in the cultivation 1 of fliix. M'l am convinced," he states, Vthat by "cultiva-. tion a much heavier crop can bo produeed, that before lpng wo will bo paying far more attention to this branch of the industry, and be more careful in cutting the crop. The result will bo heavier crops and a better sample of raw materia'} and th«r«fore a better fi|)rc. Flax grows best | on rich friable I have seen it growing 011 fairly stiff f.lay, but not well. A fair amount of moisture is necessary, hut not on the surface - T'lic heaviest crops I have seen have been 011 rich peat land, with a small percentage of river silt, and in the rich hollows to be found amongst the sand hi'ls on this coast and elsewhere. But it will grow well on light sandy country where it can gut moisture at a depth of two or three feet. Swampy land sliruld be drained to a depth of throe or four feet at loa?t. Owners of flax would be wise to see that the leaf is not cut down to the red soft butt, especial'y in the autumn,"