or New Zealand Flax . 
84S 
n| 
1 
23 i 5 i 
the fibres of the Phormium, over those of the under-mentioned, 
plants and of silk, for the purposes of cordage or cloth.— Fibres 
of 
Agave foetida being equal to - 7 
The best Flax, 
Hemp, - .. 
Phormium, 
Silk, - - 34 
In extensibility, however, the fibres of these substances differ 
most materially ; and as this property must necessarily regulate 
the strength of twisted bodies, it was found on trial, in each of 
them, nearly in the following proportions, in 
Agave, - - - 2£ 
Flax, 
Hemp, i 
Phormium, - - 1| 
Silk, - - - 5 
Now, admitting that perfect accuracy cannot be expected in 
experiments of this kind, the comparative results are most im- 
portant. The superiority of Phormium is evident in strength as 
well as in extensibility ; so that its respective filaments are, in 
the same proportion, less liable to be broken, either in the pro- 
cess of twisting or in pulling, than those of hemp. The fila- 
ments of each of these substances were taken as carefully as pos- 
sible, of the same diameter, as far as could be determined by 
a microscope and micrometer. The force used was weight ap- 
plied as equally as possible. 
When we consider the geographical position of New Zealand, 
between the Lat. 34° and 48°, in a parallel of the southern hemi- 
sphere, whose mean temperature, under a similar elevation, 
probably differs less from that of the southern parts of Britain 
than might be expected ; and especially when we know, that, in 
numerous instances, some of our most useful plants, now com- 
pletely naturalized, were originally obtained from countries bor- 
dering on the Tropics, we are naturally led to think, that the 
number of such instances might be still greatly increased, were 
the circumstances necessary to success better understood, and 
particularly the laws of the vegetable economy ; for these laws 
bear a relation much closer than is generally supposed to physi- 
cal geography and meteorology. Indeed our inquiries into this 
