171 



The consignment consisted of the following varieties : 

 Koroekihi Tamatea - - 



One 



Ngutunui 



Awanga. Tutaemanu 



Wharariki Raukama 



Aerowharawhara ' Tihore 



Huhiroa Putaiore (from Taranaki) 



Ate 



Katirankaroa 



Hill Variety. 



Pare-Jvori-tawa ") Both types of variegated 



Pare-Kori-tawa J * are known by the same name. 



With regard to the localities in the United Kingdom where 

 New Zealand Flax may be expected to be a success, Cornwall 

 and parts of Devon in England, the W. of Scotland and the S., 

 S.W. and N.W. of Ireland may be mentioned as the most likely 

 places. 



In S.W. Scotland the plant has been cultivated on an exten- 

 sive scale by Mr. J. Wallace, Loch Ryan House, Stranraer, with 

 very promising results and by Mr. J. A. Campbell, Arduaine, 

 Argyllshire. In Ireland extensive plantings have been made in 

 Co. Kerry, which have proved that a New Zealand Flax indus- 

 try in that county, and possibly also in Co. Cork, has every 

 prospect of success. 



Experiments have been tried in other parts of Ireland, under 

 the auspices of the Irish Department of Agriculture, in 

 Wicklow in particular, with the object of testing the possibility 

 of setting up a profitable industry in Ireland. The results have 

 been disappointing. This is hardly a matter of surprise since 

 the places chosen for the experiment were quite unsuitable; it 

 is, however, somewhat unfortunate, since considerable weight has 

 been attached to the failure of these experiments and the adverse 

 results have been held to prove that there is no chance of estab- 

 lishing a profitable industry in the country. 



Since, however, in the course of the enquiries instituted by Kew, 

 we have learnt that PJiormium can be grown with success in S.W. 

 Ireland and in the W. of Scotland, it seems desirable to place the 

 matter on record, and to this end an invitation was sent to the 

 Rt. Hon. Lord Ventry, Burnham, Dingle, Co. Kerry, asking 

 him to contribute an account of his experiments with New 

 Zealand flax for publication in the Kew Bulletin. With this 

 request Lord Yentry very kindly acquiesced and has sent the 

 following account of his work in Co. Kerry with several photo- 

 graphs, some of which are reproduced in this article, showing 

 the rapid growth which the plants have made. 



Lord Ventry has been growing the ' Powerscourt ' and five 

 other varieties of Xew Zealand Flax, and it may be that one of 

 the varieties recently received from New Zealand and sent to 

 him for trial will yield even better results than he bas already 

 obtained. Whether this be so or not, the evidence goes far 

 to show that the possibility of growing Phormium tenax in 

 S.W. Ireland as a commercial undertaking is an established 

 fact. 



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