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dressing to which it had been siibjected. The samples had all been 

 broken under water, so as to avoid any influence the air might exer- 

 cise. The resiilt was that the fibres were distinguishable into two 

 classes ■ — • those that frayed out, and those that broke square across. 

 The frayed samples were of flax that had been prepared by chemical 

 means or retting, which implies chemical change, but exhibited the 

 same kind of lengthy filaments at the point of bi-eak as that shown 

 in the Irish flax, which suggested the idea of having been drawn 

 out of a centre. The best machine-dressed samples, from Auckland, 

 had more the appearance of having been cut. A sample of Manilla, 

 subjected to the same test, also showed the same abruptly broken 

 fibre as the foi'mer. A sample prepared by Booth's process — which pro- 

 fesses to be but a mechanical adaptation of the Maori process, and in 

 which india-rabber tables are supposed to possess the flexible elasticity 

 of the Maori's knee — -was a closer approach to the frayed appearance of 

 the hand-pi^epared. A sample of Journeaux's modified retting process 

 also showed the frayed character. The general deduction, however, 

 he thought might be drawn from the experiments which have been 

 made is, that those fibres which break abruptly will stand a heavy 

 direct strain, while the others, having more flexibility, will be foiind 

 better adapted for weaving and spinning into rope. Attention was 

 called to a sample of Maori dressed flax broken by a strain of 

 300 lbs., which presented a bottle -brush -like end ; and also to a 

 sample of Manilla broken by a weight of 179 lbs., which broke off like 

 a stick, or rather like whalebone. Allowing for the increased strength 

 given to the Maori flax by the lateral adhesion of the fibre through the 

 presence of gum, he thought that the strength of the ultimate fibi"e of each 

 might be the same. Machine dressed flax, however, and Manilla, must be 

 classed together. Particular attention was called to the fact that flax, 

 according to the process of dressing employed, is capable of being made 

 available for articles of greater value than mere ropes and gunny -bags. At 

 present, the commissioners have been chiefly engaged in preliminary inves- 

 tigation with a view to testing, by a regular series of experiments, flax 

 prepared by the diflerent mills. In describing a means by which a variety 

 of textile fibres had been tested, each sample having been laid up in the 

 same way as nearly as possible. Dr. Hector said that while Manilla hemp 

 broke with a strain of 1881bs., and Europe rope ISolbs., the New Zealand 

 flax (Maori dressed) only parted at a strain of 300 lbs ; a sample of Jour- 

 neaux's process yielded at a pressure of 238 lbs. ; several other samples 

 kept close to the Manilla, and in one instance — that of Demarque's — ■ 



