Mo. iU.] 339 



fectures. The machine dresses a ton of the New Zealand flax in 

 a day. This Phormicus Tenax is the third in strength of known 

 fibres ; It is decidedly inferior for most purposes to flax {Linvum 

 usitatissimum). It is from a mass of fibre on the lower side of 

 this liliaceous plant. The fibre is very brittle when knotted. Mr. 

 Grattan, a chemist of Belfast, examined it with microscope. The 

 fracture of it, when knotted, resemblesthesplintersof hard wood; 

 has not the thready attenuated appearance of broken flax. The 

 fibres of it are singularly even in size, and regularity of position, 

 stretching from the top to the bottom of the leaf, in exceedingly 

 beautiful parallel lines, a splendid looking fibre ; what a pity that 

 it has such striking detects. It will not bear wet well, will not 

 stand bleaching well ; some dewrotted is nearly bleached, how- 

 ever, and had its strength. 



Analysis. 



New Zealand flax straw. Irish flax straw. 



Water, , 60.39 56.64 



Oiganic, ... 37.88 41.97 



Ash, 1.73 1.39 



100.00 1-00.00 



Potash, , 14.93 20.82 



Soda, 5.38 2.07 



Chloride of sodium, 8.75 '9.27 



Lime, 28.S2 19.88 



Magnesia, 1.41 4.05 



Oxide of iron, 1.21 2.83 



Sulphuric acid, 4.64 7.13 



Phosphoric acid, 18.96 10.24 



Carbonic acid, 13.12 10.72 



Silica, 3.86 12.80 



100.78 99.31 



By William Charley, Flax grower in Ireland. 



A society for the encouragement of flax growing in Ireland 

 has succeeded, within tlie last three or four years, in causing the 

 number of acres growing flax to rise from 50,000, and highest 

 SO.OOO, for forty years past, to 177,000 last. 



