10 PROGRESS REPORT OF THE FLAX COMMISSIONERS.

and which was said to be made from Phormium, proved on examination to have been made from flax
(Linum), or some very similar fibre.

The ultimate fibres of Phormium are so like those of Manilla that I do not think it possible to
distinguish one from the other by means of the microscope; while jute is also very similar in appearance,
but rather coarser, and the central hollow is in places altogether filled up. These three fibres are, however,
easily distinguished from flax and hemp. The ultimate fibres of hemp are from 1 inch to 2½ inches in
length, and from 1-1,000th to 1-500th of an inch in diameter. They are nearly solid, having only a very
small central hollow. The ultimate fibres of flax (Linum) are cylindrical tubes, articulated or jointed
end to end. They are from 1-3,800th to 1-800th of an inch in diameter, and, like hemp, are nearly solid.
I have not been able to ascertain their length with any accuracy, but I have measured several, which,
although broken at both ends, were still from 1 to 2 inches long; and I judge from their taper that
they are sometimes twice that length, or from 3 inches to 4 inches.

I found also, on unravelling a piece of calico, that the fibres of the cotton of which it was composed
were one or two inches in length; although, as many of them were broken, this is probably an under-
estimate. We thus see that the ultimate fibres of cotton and flax have an average length from three
to perhaps eight times greater than that of Phormium. It is the opinion of some that the ultimate
fibres of Phormium might be separated by retting or some other process, and that they could then be
spun like cotton. There certainly would not be much difficulty in reducing it to its ultimate fibres,
but I do not think that it would then be possible to spin them together, at any rate with the present
machinery, as the thread would probably not have more than a fourth of the strength of cotton.

Mr. Bonser, Manager of the China Grass Company in Wakefield, in a letter to Messrs. Brown,
Campbell, and Co., dated 25th September, 1869, says-" I can do nothing with the New Zealand flax.
It breaks up indefinitely, and there is no ultimate fibre long enough to be of any use. As soon as it is
steeped even in water, the whole strength is taken out of it, and it won't bleach even by the strongest
process." Now, I find on examination that the materials of which all textile fabrics are made, that are
of a finer texture than bagging, are divided into their ultimate fibres, which have been spun together,
and therefore, according to Mr. Bonser, they are beyond the capabilities of Phormium. Even if we
should succeed in dividing the fibrous bundles mechanically into such delicate threads that they would
draw out, and could be spun into the finer numbers of yarn, still the cement would be sure to decom-
pose in the boiling in alkaline lye when bleaching, and, even if the threads did not come to pieces,
it would be impossible to get a compact web. I also find that when white soaked flax is boiled in a
solution of soap it takes a pale yellow colour, which is not removed by sun-bleaching, so that, if it is
not reduced to its ultimate fibres and all the cement removed, this alone would perhaps be sufficient to
condemn its use as a substitute for linen, or any white material that requires washing, for it is the
cement and not the ultimate fibre that takes the colour. I do not therefore think it likely that
Phormium will ever be used for the finer textile fabrics, or for any articles that require bleaching, and
I quite indorse the remark of the jurors in their report on the fibrous substances exhibited in the New
Zealand Exhibition in 1865, "that all attempts to produce an article to compete with European flax
will only result in disappointment."* Phormium, however, may perhaps be used in the manufacture of
articles that do not require bleaching, but in my opinion its principal use will always be for rope, in
which manufacture its great strength will make it, when properly prepared, superior both to Manilla
and hemp. Of course, if the cement is left in the fibre, decomposition will sooner or later take place,
and the rope will rot if kept wet for any length of time; but in this respect it ought to be no worse
than Manilla or hemp rope, in both of which the cement is still left in.

The rotting of Phormium, especially in sea water, would be a most fatal objection to its coming
into general use, and it is of the greatest importance that the subject should be carefully inquired into,
and, if found to be true, both with the hand-washed and soaked fibre, every endeavour should be made
to discover means for preventing it. At present we are working in the dark, for we do not know
whether the fault lies with the cement, or with some azotized substance adhering to, or inside of, the
fibres, and which has not been removed by the soaking or bleaching in the sun. If the latter was the
cause, some means might be found for removing the substance, or for changing its nature, by heat or
fermentation, so as to make it less prone to decay; but if the former, our only resource would be to
employ some agent that would preserve the cement from rotting—such as chloride of zinc, or corrosive
sublimate. I certainly think that the best possible analyses should be obtained in Europe, not only of
the best Phormium fibre that we can manufacture, but also of Manilla, so as to ascertain what
substances exist in each, and in what the difference consists, that makes Manilla resist the action of
sea water better than Phormium. I am not aware that it has ever been stated that tarred New Zealand
rope rots sooner than tarred Europe rope.

An objection has also been made against New Zealand flax, that it is easily broken when tied
in a knot, and Dr. Hector and Mr. Skey have suggested (Interim Report, Appendix, p. 13) that this is
caused by small sharp pieces of hard dry gum cutting through the fibres like 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 be just as easily broken on the knot
as before. Besides, chemical reactions show, as I have already pointed out to you, that no gum remains
in properly prepared fibre, for, if any was there, the liquor obtained by boiling it in water would give
a precipitate both with basic acetate of lead and with nitrate of mercury, which is not the case. It
will be found on trial that coarse fibres from the butt of the leaf are weaker on the knot than the
finer ones from the blade, but that if we split up the coarse fibres into fine 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 the ultimate fibres are cemented firmly together longitudinally without any twist, so
that when bent sharply, as in a knot, the outside fibres alone bear all the strain. The remedy for
this is a finer division of the 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 the leaves that

• Jurors' Reports, p. 117.