19 



The Yield. 



The officials of the Department of Agriculture, New 

 Zealand, state that, from uncultivated land, from 12 to 18 tons 

 of green leaves per acre are gathered, but from a properly 

 planted and cultivated plantation, according to experiments 

 made, upwards of 50 tons could be gathered, and that the yield 

 of fibre from carefully selected plants would be greater. 

 According to the experience of various mills in New Zealand, 

 its takes from 5 \ to 6 tons of green leaves to make one of fibre. 



There are various methods adopted in New Zealand of 

 gathering leaves. It is usually from private land that they 

 aie obtained, and the owners claim a royalty; in some cases 

 12s. per ton is paid for the leaves as they are carted to the 

 mill. The cost of putting and binding is from 10s. to 12s. per 

 ton. In some parts where the mills are worked in the close 

 vicinity of navigable streams, the green leaf is delivered at a 

 cost of 20s, to 25s. per ton. 



If the yield of the leaf is 12 tons per acre this will 



give 2 tons of dressed fibre at £20 per ton ... £40 



Cost of leaves delivered at mill— 12 tons at 22s. 6d. 



per ton ... ... ... ... 13 10 



£26 10 



Extracting Fibre. 



There are two methods of treating this product to extract 

 the fibre — one by machinery, and the other by chemicals and 

 machinery. The latter method has not been used to any 

 extent, but is spoken well of by various writers. That the 

 fibre can be extracted has been proved to me on various 

 occasions. A firm in the city which has taken up the treat- 

 ment of the Linum flax has produced good samples of fibre 

 from Phormium tenax. But the principal method of extract- 

 ing the fibre is by machinery, and quite a number of various 

 designs are in use in New Zealand. Most of these do good 

 work. Recently the New Zealand Government gave a bonus 

 for the encouragement of an improved machine, and consider- 

 able competition took place. 



The commission appointed to examine into the merits of 

 the various competitors have set forth the particulars of each 

 in their report to the Hon. Minister of Agriculture, which is 

 published in pamphlet form and distributed. This is interest- 

 ing reading to those who contemplate dealing in any way with 

 Phormium. As to the cost of machinery, much depends on the 



