Flax Culiivation and its Prospects. 145 



The cultivation of the Harakeke, or indigenous flax (Phor- 

 mium tenax), might be made to conduce greatly to the wealth 

 of the country, if some mechanical process could be invented 

 which should without too much expense liberate the fibres 

 from their hard envelope, which is the only obstacle in the 

 way of its competing successfully with Russian flax. Im- 

 pressed with the importance of developing the cultivation of 

 Phormiiim tenax^ the Colonial Government has offered a re- 

 ward of £1500 for the invention of such a machine as shall 

 bark the native flax, and prepare it for and make it saleable 

 in the European market. At present no more than 50 or 60 

 cwt. of the flax, worth about £800, is exported from Auck- 

 land. The New Zealand flax surpasses almost every known 

 plant in the strength and toughness of its fibres, its ratio as 

 compared with the fibres of European plants of the same 

 species standing as high as 27 : 7. For Great Britain the cul- 

 tivation of this flax is not alone of great interest in an economic 

 point of view, but is even politically of importance, as the 

 amount of flax annually imported from Russia for her indus- 

 trial energies averages £3,000,000. 



Sheep-farming has of late years made an enormous ad- 

 vance in New Zealand, the export for 1857 being 2,648,716 

 lbs., value £176,581, that for 1859, 5,096,751 lbs., value 

 £839,779, averaging \s. 4^. per lb. The list of articles suit- 

 able for export must continually increase with immigi^ation, 

 and the consequent spread of population through the interior. 



The entire commerce of New Zealand, both import and 



VOL. ni. 



