NEW PRODUCTS FOR THE COLONY. No l. (FOR THE "DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS.")

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XX, Issue 2103, 16 April 1864, Page 5

NEW PRODUCTS FOR THE COLONY. No l. (FOR THE " DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS.")

The island of Great Britain may be considered as ono iminenBG manufactory. The farmers nianufaetm-e meat and grow the raw materials of wool, and a hundred other commodities, for the support of man, or the consumption of manufactures and (rade. " The utlermost ends of the earth" are explored to find the various substances wherewith to maintain the immense power of a million horses, and the machinery this power acts on as motors, in its daily ravenous demand for more food, and constant- is the cry, " Grive give," — being never satisfied. Like the sea, it can absorb all productions of all the nations,— yet never .say "onough." The scarcity of king cottou in consequence of the American war, put science to its studies, in order to find materials as a substitute. Wool and flax ascended in price. Amongst other wants consequent, the Avant of pabulum to supply an almost fabulous consumption of paper, attracted a marked attention. Commissioners of science and art were appointed, who made experiments on a great variety of vegetable j substances, and finally concluded, that fibres from plaintain, a hardy variety of the banana, j Tras best adapted for the raw material. But the banana family belongs to warm j climates, and the supply as a drop in the well, j of which, more anon. The tow of flax had been much commended. Expectation is on tiptoe to loam what will bo the result of Messrs. McDonald and Oo's parcel of prepared JSfcw Zealand flax sent to Britain, which, although not pertaining to the flax: family, it is hoped will yet do good service for tile hnums. I

FLAX. The cultivation of flax in New Zealand is a variety of industrial occupation which engages the attention of leading men in Britain and in the Australian colonies far more than the New Zeahinders themselves niv awnrc, or perhaps may care to hear discussed. The cultivation of flax and hemp requires too much labour ; but that no one will willingly work who can afford to go idle, is as good an axiom as " Colonial 'quest Law, and Patent." The soil and climate of New Zealand is happily adapted for the growth of flax, and moreover, no grubs or caterpillars will dare to attack roots or stalks. They turn away at iirst taste, like as a cat from mustard, or a teetotaller from brandy, or a ily from tar. No part oF this province is more likely to produce excellent (lax than the conquered district of Waikato ; it would pvovc a sure crop ever3 r year, besides the satisfaction of paying most libeially. Opinion decided many years a»o thai llax was a most scourging crop. Landlords in Biiltiin expressly excluded its cultivation, by the farmers' leases But public opinion, like private opinion, is sometimes wrono, and flax is now found to be no more an exhausting crop than oats or barley, and is the least uncertain of all crops. When men arc about to commence any enterprise of this kind, it is necessary to understand a little concerning the right mode of culture, if it is to be cultivated. Imprimis, good seed of the the best quality makes a right good begiuing ; and next, tor the moat suitable soil, a mellow heavy land or good mixed super-soil, aud a sub-soil of clay if possible, will be found very suitable for grow iug the best quality of fla.x, as it favours moisture, or rather, moisture is favourable to its growth. If the roots are enabled to ttnkc deep, and fin I sufficient nourishment and humidity, so will arise a corresponding length of stnlk or stem. But this soil is not alone to be choseu for flaxen produce. Some of the Lincolnshire growers tell U 3 (hat lighter lands produce as good crops and finer fibre than the heavier. They arc also much easier tilled. As a general rule, all land 3 adapted for wheat are fit f;r flax. The ground before sawing ought to bo well pulverised, and without fault, clean from every kind of roots, seeds, or weeds, as any of these will annoyingly interfere with future operations. Seed from Riga is esteemed about the best, but no doubt English seeds could be had, which, bring acclimatised, would suit New Zealand equa'ly well. Whencever obtained, the seed must be sown thick, at from tw o bushels to two and a-half bushels per statute acre. The stronger your ground, by so much the thicker should fla.x seed be sown. Thickly-set plants bring up a finer fibre than a tluu crop, and weaker ground grows the stalks finer but shortez", as a natural consequence. The time for sowing may not be readily determined. As flax is a northern and hardy plant, experience would be wanting in order to determine the best time In Britain it is usually sown early, so that the flax may be pulled before the general harvest comes on. The first of March, or not later than March, is generally named. The best flax farmers prefer the drill system for various reasons, one of the best being that the crop can be summer-weeded more regularly, without treading down auy of the young plants. Flax possesses the advantage of being a shorter time on the ground than most other crops. Its maturity is indicated by the falling of the lower leaves, and by the brown tinge of its bolls, together *.witk the readiness in which all the seeds can be separated. Care should bo taken not to pull until this maturity is obtained, both for the sake of fibre and of seed. Flax and" linseed are both commodities of very great value, and what is additional^ valuable, they are likely to continue without much deviation in demand or worth The general prices at present rule from £60 to £90 and £120 per ton of dressed flax, according to quality, as a rise in the price of flax is announced, in consequence of the scarcity of cotton. An aero of flax usually yields from & to 10 cwts., per imperial acre, of dried stems, without the seed, which must be gently thrashed out, and carefully kept dry. About 4001b?. of dressed flax to 6001b arc he'd to be a fair or an excellent crop, if the quality is fine, for fineness in flax is the important quality. £100 per ton would be got for it at present. Say a ton of dressed flax is produced from every five acres, the gross sum of £20 per acre is thus obtained ; but taking the product sales at £90, or even £80 or £16 per acre, and deduct £4 for labour and dressing, the sum of £12 remains per acre as profit. Let £10 per acre be assumed, and we will ask any Now Zealand farmer to say wliafc kind of crop ho can grow with an almost certain return every year, to show so large a margin of profits. Many of the Lincolnshire flax farmers nett £14 per acre, but they have reduced every operation to system, grow on a large scale, and are bred to the business. In New Zealand, unless a few practical men step forward to set examples, and oven if they appear, many errors will be committed, and practical flax growers themselves will have something to learn, from change of soil, situation, and climate. The total value of flax imported, dressed and undressed, with its tow orcodilla, during eleven months of 1863, up to 30th November, amounted to £1,242,087 ; but nearly half a million less than the worth of importations for tho same time in 1862. From Russia, Holland, Belgium, Memo!, aud Koningsberg, come the chief supplies; Russia sending more than double the quantity of all tio rest. Flanders and Dutch flax is of the best quality, if well dressed ; next ranks the Riga.

UNSEED. Here is another item of flax-growing advantages, not yet taken into calculation. A good crop of flax will yield an average of ten bushels in seeds per annum. Linseed is an article in so vast demand, for so many purposes, that the consumption is unlimited. The drying oil of linseed, who knows not.. But every part becomes useful after the oil is expressed. Oil cake made from its remains constitutes a necessary part of food, both for iheep and cattle, as no equivalent it found to surpass

this cake for fattening qualities j although a tew prefer cotton seed cake, it is not so safe a substitute." - £he expressed remains are reputed most beneficial as a manure, and as a manure it is much used by many farmers. To give every reader some idea of the linseed trade for 1863, the following account of imports into Britain for cloven months, 'are undernoted ;—; —

964,000 Tv which are included 40,000 quarters from Btga, as seed. The re-evport during, that same year was about 90,000 quarters of eight imperial bushels to the qunrfcer. Prices have fluctuated from £15 to £18 15s. per ton; and parcels to arrive, ruled from £U 10s. to £15 10s. per ton. In 1840 the price was not higher than 50s. per quarter. New Zealand linseed would in all likelihood (when grovrn) have to be exported m casks. _In Britain extensive crushing mills economically express the drying oil, and the cake is ingeniously prepared for the farmers by adding water and meal. Linseed oil at Christmas last brought £34 to £35. In June the price was £<J5. A bushel of flax-seed should weigh about 5G pounds.

LINSEED CAKK. Cotton seed cake lias appeared as a rival to tlie old favourite of linseed. JFvom £9 to£lo were the ruling figures throughout the year 18(53 for linseed cake. Cotton, seed cake, although, not nearly so good as tho'othgr, commands the advantage of being attained at lower figures. From £5 10s. to £1 ha^e been the current prices. Tins relative cheapness makes cotton cake in demand; but many farmers say its indigestible nature, uuless decorticated, kills not a few of their stock. Jf less linseed cake suffices thau that of cotton, the choice is a mere matter of opinion. A slight change of organic life or place is propitious i,o organic life ; and greater changes must bo effected gradually, until acclimatising reconciles to the wider variations. It is said that this man tried the growing of flax, and tlint man tried, but it did not do. Why, no one will say. When did he sow? Was the ground well tilled? Did he or the other man keep the flax clean of weeds ? Did they sow thick or thin ? Was the flax ready to pull before the hot month of November, or did the flax stand until December? In what kind of soil was the flax seed deposited ? These are questions to be answered, for we wish to have the subject discussed. If the clime is not too hot to grow flax in Victoria, surely itcaunot be too warm to grow flax in any part of Now Zealand. But the Victorians go to wofk with will and with skill, no trifling obstacles nor any single failure will deter them from " tiying again and again." There is often more real know ledge to be learned by experimental failures than by accidental success. It is also to be kept in mind that there are two kinds of flax ; the winter flax linum usitatissimum), and the spring flax (linum humih), of which the winter variety is the best. The name is enough to indicate what time it ought to be sown, as the linum bel ngs to a cold climate, as cold as rye-growing countries, setting aside oats, which prefer a few degrees of more warmth for their fullest matm'ity. To show that our professions are not all theory, no practice, it is our intention to sow small patches at different times ; one (now sown) in the middlo of April, another about the same time in May, and in June, and in July, and so on to ascertain v.hich of the sowings will best succeed. Every country, nay, every province yields some staple commodity for export, except Auckland and Taranaki. It is high time for our leading men to look out for, and encourage cultivation of some useful products ; the gi'orring of which will partly employ and benefit the military settlers under Government wings, as nothing is more certain than that they will seriously want some auxiliary power of this kind to make both ends meet. In all newsettlements the first difficulties are generally the hardest, — like the first step up a perpendicular wall.

u. P.S. — Have any experiments been tried in a common-sense perseverance sorb of way, to cultivate the native fla\', which is a species of limim, not the phormmm tenax ?

T [mporfced it >i >> n >> 1 from Calcutta „ „ Bombay „ Petersburgh ,i Archangel „ Eiga „ Baltic ports, Memcl, &c. „ Blnck'Soa , 450,000 qrs. 100,000 „ 180,000 „ 4,500 „ -76,000 „ 100,000 „ 146,000 „ 964,000