PROJECTED REVIVAL OF THE FLAX INDUSTRY 627 



Russia and in Holland and the effect of adding muriate of 

 potash at the time of sowing. Different methods of sowing the 

 seed were adopted and trials of different methods of harvesting 

 the crop were made. 



Certain points of difference are said to be noticeable when 

 retting is conducted in cement-lined tanks as compared with 

 wood-lined tanks : the nature of the difference in the fibre pre- 

 pared from undried and from dried straw is not yet understood : 

 likewise the possibility of successfully treating the nauseous 

 tank effluent on a filter bed is unsolved. These and other 

 problems are of considerable importance when the question of 

 centralising retting operations is considered and it was with the 

 object of attempting to elucidate such problems that the experi- 

 mental tanks referred to were constructed. 



So as to avoid having to attribute any success obtained with 

 the crop to exceptionally favourable soil, when selecting the 

 land care was observed not to choose that which was eminently 

 suitable to the flax crop but rather a soil which, if anything, was 

 adverse to its growth. An able farmer of good standing, who 

 farms gault land near to the chalk, was supplied with the different 

 varieties of seed and asked to do his best with the crop, one 

 of the reasons for making the trials being to ascertain what 

 difficulties would be encountered when employing labour which 

 was unfamiliar with the work. 



The unusually dry weather during April seriously delayed 

 the sowing of the seed, in fact some of the plots were not sown 

 until well in May. Afterwards, the season became exceptionally 

 wet ; rain fell so frequently during August and September that 

 harvesting operations were interrupted and were often com- 

 pleted with difficulty, as was also the drying of the retted 

 straw. 



Some difficulty was contemplated in getting the crop weeded 

 and pulled and in this there was no disappointment, although 

 the villagers displayed some anxiety to do their best and their 

 services became more useful as they became more familiar with 

 the work. No difficulty was experienced in getting female 

 labour in the fields, indeed, some women were glad to walk 

 nearly three miles to the work. 



At no stage of the growth of the flax nor yet at the time of 

 harvest could any difference be observed between the part of 

 the plots which had received a dressing of muriate of potash 



