258 



meeting of our Society. It is not, however, after all, with a fancy article of 

 this kind, of limited consumption, though high priced, (I have known 61000 per 

 ton paid,) that much general benefit is to be derived by this country. In Nor- 

 mandy (France) a good deal of flax is grown, and considerable attention has 

 been paid of late years to improve it by good management, with some degree of 

 success, though the best of it I have handled can be easily surpassed in Wis- 

 consin. 



In Bussia, as in Belgium, there is both dew and water-rotted flax, depending 

 on the facilities which the producing provinces ofier as to water. All that finds 

 an outlet by the White Sea at Archangel and Onega, is dew-rotted; that by 

 the Baltic, at St. Petersburg, Riga, Pernan, &c., is water-rotted. In that country 

 the flax is all assorted into ditl'erent qualities, distingui:^hed by particular initials, 

 well known to business men. The assortment is made by government and local 

 inspectors whose decision is arbitraiy ; and though sometimes erroneous, business 

 generally is much facilitated by the arrangement of classification. For instance, 

 a manufacturer, say in Scotland, has an opportunity of contracting for a quan- 

 tity of goods, which he knows -.by experience he can make out of the flax 

 marked "PTR," at Riga. He refei-s to liis price current, makes his calculations 

 and his bargain, and orders the mark he wants from his correspondent in Riga, 

 with very nearly a certainty of getting the suitable article. The house in Riga has 

 again io deal with another party, generally a native dealer or jobber, who agrees 

 to deliver that mark at a fixed price, either on the arrival of the barques after 

 open water, or at any time that may be bargained for. In his transactions with 

 the land-holders in the intei'ior, he has to buy all and sundry unclassified. His 

 own judgment must guide him as to what proportion of his purchases will pass 

 the inspectors at the shipping port, for "TR," "PTR," '• SPTR," and so on 

 through all the marks which bear their respective prices. One feature of the 

 Russian flax trade is woithy of all acceptation in the present state of Wisconsin, 

 and that is, that two-thirds of the price, down to 10 i)er cent., as may be agreed 

 on, is paid in advance of the delivery; and in Pernan, the whole amount is paid 

 down when the contract is made — the delivery being, perhaps, alter three or four 

 months, and often lono-er. 



In all of those countries I have named, except Ireland, as well as in Hanover, 

 Tvliere also a good deal of flax is raised for home consumption, (with a small export 

 of the finest hand spun yarns produced anywhere,) the flax is dressed by hand 

 labor; no machinery is used as yet, or, at least, was not two years ago — but 

 hands being su|)erabundant, labor is cheap. 



In Efff/pf the late Ibrahim Pasha took a deep interest in the culture of flax, in- 

 troduced it on his private estates under the superintendence of an intelligent young 

 friend of my own, and imported both men and machinery from abroad to give 

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