New Zealand Flax.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3359, 13 November 1889, Page 3

New Zealand Flax.

Professor Hutton has delivered a 1 leoturo on tlio above important ' subject. Tlio first part of the lecture deals with various drawbacks in the fibre, and points out how they may bo remodied, The following are the instances referred toAn objection has also been made against New Zealand flax, tlmt it is, easily broken when tied in a knot, and Dr Hector and Mr Skey has suggested (Interim Heport, appendix, p. 18) that this is paused by small sharp pieces of hard dry gum cutting through the fibres liko knives, but that this explanation is not the true one may be proved by taking some dressed fibre and steaming it slightly, so as to soften any gum that might be there, when it will still be found to bo just as easily broken on the knot as before. Besides, chemical re-actions show, as I have already pointed out to you, that no gum remains in properly prepared fibre, for if any wcro thoro, the liquor obtained by boiling it in water would give a preciptatc both with basic acotatG of lead and with Strain of mercury, which is the case, it will be found on trial that coarse fibres from tlio butt of the leaf are V weaker on tlio knot than the liner * • ones from the blade; but that if we split up the coarse fibres into line threads the strength of both will then be equal, and this gives us the clue to the real reason for the weakness on the knot, which is that tlio ultimate fibres are held firmly toget--1 her longitudinally without any twist, v so that when bent sharply, as in a knot, the outsido fibres alono bear all the strain, The remedy for tins is a finer division of tlio fibre. Another complaint against New Zealand flax, as at present prepared, is its uneven quality, This is owing to different causes, which will all disappear in time. One of the causes lies in tlio leaves that arc used, all varieties being passed indiscriminately through the machines; and young, old, and sometimes half-decayed leaves are mixed up together. This evil will bo in great part cured when tlio ifliole of the first crop of old leaves has been cut, for then young leaves of from one to two years will alone come to the mil; but it will not be entirely got over until mills arc supplied with cultivated flax carefully selected and looked after, and I do not think it will pay to do fr this at present. Another source of ' uneven quality is owing to the various processes employed in different mills (to prepare the fibre; but this will yalso gradually disappear as the subject gets ventilated, and the best method adopted throughout the Islands, Tlio objection that New Zealand tops easily chafes is one that 1 am afraid that wc cannot euro, as it arises from the gradual separation of the ultimate fibres from one another; but tlio moro the celluloao is removed or weakened by rotting, boiling in water, or in alkali, and the greater tlio diameter of the rope t he less will be the proportionate car. 1 do not, however, see why New Zealand rope should chafe more than Manila. Une other objection remains to be noticed, namely, the alleged liability of tbo fibre to spontaneous oombustion, Spontaneous combustion is caused by easily decomposable bodies absorbing oxygen under such circumstances that the heat cannot escape as quickly as it is gonorated, and it accumulates until it is sufficient to set tlio substance on 0 fire. All organic bodies which contain albumen decompose spontanoto. ouslv when kept in a moist ' condition; but those bodies that do not contain nitrogen are much lens iiablo to decay, and therefore to spontaneous combustion. Wellcleaned libro, quite dry wlieu packed is not in tlio least liable to such a change; rut badly prepared, or unecutched fibre, packed damp, would probably rot before long, and the heat thus given out might be sufficient to set it on fire. Unwashed flax, which still contained the mucilage and bitter principle, would still be more liable to spontaneous combustion ; but, as moisture in absolutely necessary before decay can coinmoncc, oven the unwashed and uuscutchcd fibre, if it was quite dry when packed, and pressed with a pressure of forty or fifty tons or Kiore, would be free from danger, for if the outside got wet afterwards the ■damp could not penetrate further jb.in than it could evaporato out agilip; 'and it is only in the centre of a bale that the heat could accumulate so much as to causo it to catch tire. In ray opinion, therefore, any kind of flax, if quite dry when packed, and well pressed, is safe; but any kind, K oven the best prepared, if packed damp, or loosely pressed, is unsafe, but not nearly so dangerous as wool or hay. The proof of this is the large quantities that appear to be damaged by sea water, on tlio way to England, and yet wc have not heard of a single case of heating or spontaneous nombustion with Aucklandmade (lax.