Introduction
Uses of Phormium
History & Distribution
The Plant
Selection & Breeding
Climate Requirements
Soil Requirements
Propagation
Planting
Germination
Seedling Growth
Advantages of Seedlings
Disadvantages of Seedlings
Vegetative Propagation
Advantages of Vegetative Propagation
Time of Planting
Spacing of Plants
Care of Cuttings & Seedlings
Fertilizers
Diseases
Insects & Animals Harmful to Phormium
Harvesting
Yields
Chemical Composition
Fiber Extraction & Processing
The Fiber
Fiber Identification
Fiber Preservation

The usefulness of phormium as a fiber plant was discovered by the Maori tribes of New Zealand before that country was known to Europeans.  When Europeans settled in New Zealand, phormium became the first export item.  For many years the wild plants of New Zealand continued to be the sole source of all phormium in commerce and an export of major importance to the country of its origin.

The poor harvesting practices or the early phormium millers seriously affected the health of phormium stands. Diseased and insect damaged leaves, often poorly milled, produced a poor quality fiber which gave phormium a bad reputation.  Government grading regulations for exports helped noticeably in restoring consumer estimation of phormium fiber.  However, the growth of the abaca and sisal industries in tropical countries, where production costs were low, resulted in such low prices for phormium fiber that interest in its production in New Zealand declined.  Largely because of relatively high production costs in mild temperate climates, to which phormium is adapted, phormium has remained a minor fiber in world trade.

At present, New Zealand does not produce enough phormium to supply its own hard-fiber needs. Consequently, the New Zealand Government has banned exports of phormium fiber and tow.  Most of the small quantity of phormium now entering international trade is produced on the Island of St. Helena, where it long has been the only important export item.

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In the years since World War I, and particularly since World War II, phormium has been attracting considerable attention as a plant which might supply the domestic hard-fiber needs of countries with mild temperate climates.  The essential character of hard-fibers, both for defense and civilian purposes, was brought sharply into focus during World War II when supplies of hard-fibers normally imported from the tropics were cut off.  Continued uncertainties in the post-war picture have spurred the efforts of a number of extra-tropical countries to become self-sufficient with respect to hard-fiber needs.

While phormium is not, as sometimes stated,1,2 the one and only hard fiber which can be grown in temperate climates, or even the only hard fiber of commercial importance produced outside of the tropics,3 it is of far more commercial importance than any other hard-fiber which can be grown in temperate regions.
 
Its fiber is strong and durable, and considered a good substitute for sisal which is produced only in the tropics.4  Because phormium is softer than other hard fibers, it is adapted to textile as well as cordage purposes.  During World War II, it was employed to some extent as a substitute for jute, a soft fiber produced only in the tropics.

1/ Hopper, W. C.  New Zealand has limited production of only hard fibre grown in temperate climates.  Foreign Trade  6:152.  1949.
2/ Haarar, A. K.  A new British industry.  Why not grow fibre?  Fruit-Grower 2827: 361-362.
3/ Weindling, Ludwig.  Long vegetable fibers: Manila, sisal, jute, flax and related fibers of commerce.  311 pp. illus. 1947.
4/ Inter-American Economic and Social Council in collaboration with Robinson, B. B.  Status of the fiber plant industry in Latin America.  Pan American Union. Washington, D. C. 1947.

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As a hard-fiber crop, phormium has a number of advantages 1, 2,3, 4 over other plants.  Its foremost advantage is its high fiber yield.  On an acre for acre basis, phormium yields almost as much green material as sisal and abaca, and acre extracted fiber, since phormium leaves, on an average, contain 10 to 12% fiber in contrast to 2 to 3% for sisal.  Some varieties of phormium yield as much as 22% unscutched fiber.  This high fiber percentage is an important factor in reducing the cost of harvesting and transporting large tonnages of green material and in reducing fiber cleaning costs.

In contrast to yuccas, agaves, and furcraeas, phormium leaves have no terminal or marginal spines to complicate harvesting, handling and processing.

Phormium has long leaves which yield longer fibers then any hard-fiber plant except abaca.

The most serious disadvantage of phormium is its inability to command as high a price as sisal and abaca on world markets when these fibers are available in ordinary amount.  Costs of producing phormium in temperate climates, where wages and land values are comparatively high, run higher than production costs for tropical fiber crops.  Because phormium has not been able to compete with sisal in the past, research on its processing has lagged, with the result that present processing machinery, although similar in principle to sisal machinery, is less efficient.

1/ Inter-American Economic and Social Council in collaboration with Robinson, B. B.  Status of the fiber plant industry in Latin America.  Pan American Union. Washington, D. C. 1947.
2/ Robinson and Gergen.  Phormium.  Cord Age.  pp. 8, 34. May 1948.
3/ Critchfield, Howard J.  New Zealand phormium fiber. Foreign Agric. 14(2):41-42. illus. 1930.
4/ Jackson, W. L.  Phormium tenax. New Zealand Flax. East African Agricultural Journal. 14(4):194-195. 1949.

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To compete successfully in world markets with tropical fibers, phormium production costs would have to be lowered by: (1) greater attention to planting only the highest yielding, best climatically adapted, disease resistant sorts; (2) reduction in the amount of hand labor now generally employed in its cultivation and harvesting; and (3) improvement of the processing machinery.  As a strategic material capable or supplying essential domestic hard-fiber in extra-tropical countries during periods of disrupted world trade, phormium culture
now is being fostered in various parts of the world suited to its culture.

Within the past few years, the United States Department or Agri­culture has initiated experiments with phormium to test its suitability for hard-fiber production in this country.  While this work is being done chiefly in California, possibilities of phormium culture in some other states, particularly Oregon and Florida, are also being investigated.  Part of this report ls based on the U. S. Department of Agricultural phormium project in California.