FLAX FIBRE in 



erected at Lumbwa. All the work involved, except 

 scutching, can be carried out by unskilled labour, 

 and the industry is undergoing rapid development. 



Flax was formerly an important crop in Egypt, but 

 its cultivation declined as the cotton industry de- 

 veloped. Renewed attention has been given to the crop 

 recently, and in 1916 it occupied about 12,000 acres. 



There is no doubt that flax could be grown success- 

 fully in some other parts of the Empire. Experi- 

 ments have been made in Cyprus, and the Transvaal 

 and Orange River Provinces of South Africa: Trials 

 on a more extensive scale have been carried out in 

 Bihar, India, and it has been proved that flax can be 

 grown and prepared successfully in that region at a 

 profit of about 4 per acre ; planters have not shown 

 any readiness, however, to take up the cultivation 

 owing to the uncertainty of prices and their disin- 

 clination to invest capital in a new industry. Experi- 

 ments which have been conducted in Victoria, New 

 South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania, have indi- 

 cated that the soils and climatic conditions of these 

 countries are suited to the requirements of the plant. 



STRUCTURE, USES AND PROPERTIES OF FLAX FIBRE 



Flax consists of long filaments, each composed of 

 a group of bast fibres. The length of the filaments 

 varies from 12 to 36 in., and the diameter from 

 0-0018 to 0*025 in,, with an average of about 0*006 in. 

 The best flax is of a pale yellow colour ; dew-retted 

 flax is usually grey, and incompletely retted flax has 

 a greenish tint. The fibre is soft, flexible, and lustrous, 

 and is stronger and more durable than cotton ; it is 

 also a better conductor of heat than cotton, and it is 

 for this reason that linen fabrics feel cold to the 

 touch. 



The finest kinds of flax are employed for the 

 manufacture of linen fabrics, such as damasks, sheet- 

 ings, cambrics, and for linen thread and lace, whilst 

 the coarser qualities are used for canvas, hollands, 

 bagging and twine. 



