l8oo. upon the Cultivation of Flax hi Riijfta^ Izfc. 55 



Merchants, becaufe they are accuftomed to fee thefe articles 

 only in their /r^/«rtY/itate — but toj'uch country Gentlemen as 

 have diftinguiflied themfelves moil by their attention to the 

 cultivation of their eftates, and may therefore be fuppofed to 

 have combined /r(767/V^ with theory, and confequently to fpeak 

 from experience as to the refult of both. 



For further fatisfaclion, he annexes a tranflation of thefe 

 queflions, with that of one of the returns thereupon received. 

 On a general comparifon of which, the refult appears to be, 



1. That a black (not morafly) open gravelly foil, has been 

 found to produce the beft crops both of flax and hemp j and 

 that, as they become too exuberant, confequently rijfl/y^', on a 

 foil too rich, much care mud be taken to reduce fuch a fu- 

 perior, as to raife an inferior or poorer foil to a middle de- 

 gree of ftrength, on which the quality, which is of much 

 more confequence than the quantityy that may be gained, 

 wholly depends. 



2. That the raifing oi previous crops of grain, on fuch fields 

 as are deftined for flax and hemp, is, in general, pra<Slifed as 

 the beft mode of afcertaining this middle degree of llrength. 

 On a vigorous foil, in the ufual manner cultivated, wheat is 

 firft fown ; then rye, barley, and oats ; fucceed laft of all, ei- 

 ther peas, flax, or hemp, Such lands bear two fucceflive crops 

 of hemp, if intermediately dunged ; and for one of flax, are 

 not manured at all. But on a foil of lefs ftrength, flax and 

 hemp are fown immediately after a Winter crop of rye, the. 

 field being ploughed up once, either in the intervening Au- 

 tumn, if the weather allows, or, if not, in the Spring; har- 

 rowed over and manured ; and then again ploughed immedi- 

 ately before fowing. The difadvantage of this, is Jiowever 

 the lefs, if there arifes any at all ; becaufe a Winter crop of 

 rye may be fown in the fame field again, immediately after 

 drawing of the flax or hemp ; if after a crop of hemp, with- 

 outy but if after a crop of flax, }7ot luithont, being again ma- 

 nured. A field that has lain fallow, if only ploughed up, 

 yields a better crop of flax, than if cultured and manured in 

 the above, or in any other way. 



3. The ufual time of fowing flax and hemp in thofe coun- 

 tries, (which, though moftly under the fame parallel as Eng- 

 land ; that is to fay, thofe parts of them that grow the arti- 

 cles in the greateft quantity and perfection, are fo much cold- 

 er in Winter, and warmer in Summer, and fubjeil: to fuch 

 inftantaneous changes from the one to the other, th;it they 

 can fcarcely be fald to enjoy the temperature either of Spring 

 or Autumn, night frofts being very prejudicial), is between the 



