Abstract.
Dr. Purchas described several different kinds of vegetable fibre, showing specimens derived from the ti tree, and what he termed the most beautiful fibre he knew of, a fibre from the leaf of the pine-apple. He then spoke of the Phormium tenax, and the capabilities of the fibre derived from it. He thought the refuse in manufacturing might be converted into useful brown paper. If used from the green leaf, he thought the paper would not require any size. The author then pointed out what he considered to be the necessary processes to produce the fibre. It was simply a mistake to talk about getting rid of the gum; it was the cellular tissue that they wanted to get rid of—the gum was easily got out. Dr. Purchas said it was some years since he had made the discovery, that merely striking the leaf with a hammer on a piece of hard wood released the fibre. He then spoke of the native mode, which, he said, was ingenious and effective, but in which there was a great waste. It also very easily fermented. When they wanted to make kaitaka mats, the natives steeped the fibre, and beat it until it was freely divided. He also spoke of the boiling process, and showed a specimen prepared in that way. There was one person who prepared flax by boiling, and then subjecting it to a mechanical process, which he kept secret. In speaking of the process of fermentation, Dr. Purchas said that it was averred that that process spoiled the fibre, which he thought likely. Dr. Purchas then exhibited a piece of rope made from the common flax produced at Waitangi. He would like to see a rope manufactory established here as well as at Canterbury.
Mr. Buckland said he was sure they were all much obliged to Dr. Purchas for bringing before them a matter second in importance not even to the digging of gold. He was afraid they never could make flax well adapted to rope making, unless they could succeed in preventing rotting. Dr. Purchas had told them that, before the war, the miners in Victoria had preferred the flax ropes, but they had found by experience that they could not stand exposure to wet, and they had ceased to use them. The fault found in the rope was that it would not take tar well, and that it rotted. The system of cleaning the flax by beating was not new, as he had seen it in Wellington in 1840, where flax was manufactured by beating it between two pieces of hard wood. This plan was given up, and they afterwards took to boiling. If the people of New Zealand ever made up their minds to cultivate flax, they must take the tihore, and there were several distinct kinds of tihore. The best flax he knew of was to be found at Maungatautari, where the natives could earn seven shillings a day, at a price of £20 per ton. That was done by using only the best description of flax. He trusted the time was not far distant when they would be able to export a large quantity of flax.
