378 Agricultural Journal of Victoria. 



GENERAL NOTES. 



Flax Cultivation in Europe. 



In the Flanders or Blue Districts of Belguim some farmers take' 

 off the seed from the green tlax which is immediately put in the steep. 

 Others dry the flax on the field, then take the seed off and steep- 

 The seed is removed in all cases, either by a rippling comb or mallet. 

 In the Courtrai district the seed is taken from the dry straw before 

 the flax goes to be retted in the Lys, and in no case is the flax retted 

 until the seed is removed. 



The rippling and rebinding leave flax straw very square and 

 neat. On an average in the Blue District the seed realises, when 

 sold, sufficient to pay the cost of all labor expended on pulling, 

 retting, drying and rebinding, till ready for mill. 



Having inspected the Lys and the system of retting carried on 

 there, we are satisfied that no better could be carried out, since a very 

 superior fibre is produced. This system also produces fibre of a 

 uniform color in large quantities. Flax comes from long distances by 

 rail and cart to be retted here. After being dried and the seed taken 

 off, it is then opened, neatly handled and made into bunches of 

 uniform size, bound with three bands then placed on end in crates. 



These crates are large moveable wooden structures, 10 x 12 x 4| 

 feet. "When these are filled they are moved into the water. The 

 flax remains in these for seven or eight days, is then carefully taken 

 out, conveyed to the ground to be dried, where it is neatly set up in 

 gates in rows to dry. While it remains in these gates it is turned 

 wo or three times so as to give it a uniform color ; it then goes 

 through a similar ])rocess to the first, and remains in crates from ten 

 to sixteen days according to the temperature of the water. Occas- 

 ionally a third similar process is gone through if the second should 

 not prove satisfactory. — Journal of the DepartviPnf of Agriculture and 

 Technical Education for Ireland, June, 1903. 



Solids in Milk. 



When the ^' .Sale of Milk Regulations" came into force in 

 England in September, 1901, the standard of 3 per cent, fat and 8*5 

 per cent, non-fatty solids required by the Board of Agriculture was 

 regarded as being very low, and the opinion was freely expressed that 

 the milk of well-fed healthy cows was rarely so poor in quality. It 

 has since been shown that milk is more variable in composition than 

 was formerly sup])osed, and that a sample re])resenting a single- 

 milking ma}' frequently contain a smaller percentage of solids than is 

 required by the Board's regulations. When milk is drawn at equal 

 intervals, the mixed milk of a herd of cows will usually be satisfactory, 

 but if the milk of tlie individual cows be tested, it will be found to 



