Agriculture. Novel Industries of Australia.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1794, 5 January 1884, Page 6

Agriculture. Novel Industries of Australia.

FLAX, It is not too much to say that, excapt, perhaps, in the very hot and aiitl parts of tho continent, the flax plant will grow in any part of Australia, and it is no less to be wondered at than it is to be deplored that this valuable product has not received more attention at the hands ot our farmers and settlors than it has done, for in no part of tho colonieo, except to a limited extent in South Australia, has it been cultivated in anything like a systematic manner. And yet tho growth of flax is a pursuit eminently adapted to the farmer or settler, the more particularly if his family be a large one, inasmuch as nearly all the processes, such as gathering and drying tho crop, is labor which can readily be performed by children. No doubt spasmodic attempts have been made by the press of most of the colonies, from time to time, to induce agriculturists to turn their attention to this industry, but -whether from the want of scutch-mills to dress the plant, or the lack of knowledge of the article as a mercantile commodity, or of acquaintance with the cultivation of the crop and the processes necessary to the fibre, even suoh efforts as have been made have, after a time, been discontinued. It is also true that eight or nine years since the Government of Victoria offered bonuses to farmers and others who would . grow and produce the most marketable samples of fibre, and it was pointed out a^ the time that a fair crop, carefully cultivated on average soil would produce 5 cwfc. of dressed fibre per acre, with £3 or even £-1 per cwt., and from 12 to 15 bushels of linseed per acre, worth 103. per bushel ; also that there was a continual demand for the fibre for ropemaking purposes, while tho annual import of linseed oil into Victoria was upwards of 100,000 gallons. Still with all these inducements, and the encourgement offered by the Government tha industry was never attempted, or if attempted, was allowed to languish int* desuetude. It may bo mentioned here that according to the opinion of a gentleman having a thoroaghly practical knowledge of the subject;, and being himself a very large consumer of the fibre, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania, can grow as fine' flax as any other part of tho world. Flax (phormium tcnux) grows profusely in a wild state nearly all over New Zealand, and is of especial value to that colony, being exported largely to Greet Britain and other places, and there being several establishments in various paita of the islands for the dressing of the fibre. Generally speaking, however, but little ha 3 been done in the way of cultivating the finer qualities of the plant, and considerable difficulty appears to have been experienced in properly extracting the gum with which tho leaf is chargod, although it is said that that operation can now be successfully performed. Be that as it may, there is no doubt that even the product of the wild flax plant has attained a high reputation for use in the coarser kinds of woik, rope, ships' cable, <£o. But it is not of the phormium tcnax, or wild flax, so much a3 of the Union or true Irish fiax, tho seed of whioh is imported into Ireland from Holland and Russia, that this article is intended to treat. South 'Australia has, as has been said, lately devoted some attention to this matter, and has, in fact, produced not only tho fibre, but linen of excellent qnality made therefrom. Any fair soil on which wheat can be grown will produce flax, especially such soils as possess a good solid subsoil for the retention of moisture, although it does not suffer so much as grain crops in a dry soil, because having a tap root it shoots down deep into the ground like lucerne. The proper time for sowing is in the early Spring, (two bushels of seed to an acre), and to commence pulling the leaves is when the stalks begin to turn yellow, and the leaves to fall. The process of taking off the seed (which ought to pay the entire cost of the crop) is simple enough. After the flax — tied into bundles — has lain to diyfor three or four days, the seed ends, of the sheaves are beaten lightly with mallets so as to bruise the capsules or pods, and well shaken into cloths laid down to receive the fallen seed, which i? then either winnowed in the field, or carried away. The steeping of the flax is an operation which requires practical knowledge and experience that it would be impossible to impart by mere printed instructions, and the bruising of the straw, scutching, and other processes, belong rather to the manufacture than the cultivation of flax. THE CHESTNUT. The chestnut, or sweet chestnut (fagmcastanca), is a forest tree which might advantageously be largely introduced into Victoria and New South Wales, inasmuch as although it requires a good soil, it is hardy, and grows freely in any moderate climate. It is, however, not so much for the produce of this tree that it is lecommended to the attention of land holders (although the fruit sells in South Australia, where it is cultivated, at a good, nay, a highly remunerative price), as it is for its timber, which is next in value to oak. If planted in places having a deep soil, so as to allow the tap-root to strike down, and being fairly well drained, it will rapidly grow into a very large and highly ornamental tree. But its chief value in the Australian colonies is in connection with the cultivation of the vine, due to the fact that its timber is admirably suited to the manufacture of wine casks, neither affecting the taste nor the colour of the wine. Planted in a suitable place, and at a distance of not less than, say, 100 feet apart, and giving it a fair amount of care for the first few years of its existence, a grove of these trees would soon become a shady and ornamental appendage, as well as a valuable adjunct to any farm, holding, or vineyard, where it might be grown. CUBRANTS AND BAISINS. Properly speaking, the cultivation of these valuable fruits belongs to vine culture, although, eicept in the neighbourhood of Adelaide, where they are grown to a limited extent, they are practically unknown as articles of produce in Australia. Still, considering the vast quantity o£ these dried fruits imported into the colonies, and the suitability of much of the soil and climate, it is evident that they might be cultivated to groat advantage by those who would take the trouble of learning the proper method of growing and drying them. In South Australia something like 80 tons of raisins, equal in all respects to the best imported, aro grown and dried annually, and the manufacture of cuirants is established, and is gradually increasing. For currants the small Zante or Corinth grape is most suitable, and this can be grown in any soil suitable to the ordinary grape, and in a warm climate. Raisins have a more extended sphere, and are produced from the Sultana and fleshy Muscat grapes, for the growth of which favourable spots abound in all the wineproducing districts of Australia. (To be co?iti?iued.)