426 Abstract Report of Agricidtiiral Discussions. 



lie had tlie advantage of the experience of a gentleman living in the 

 neighbourhood of Oalne, who had been scutching flax for the last ten 

 years, and who summed it up shoi'tly by saying, that if he had known 

 as much when he began as he did now, he would never have had any- 

 thing to do with it, for to him it had been anything but a profitable 

 speculation. He would like to know how far the experience of others 

 tallied with this report ; and whether, supposing the cultivation of flax 

 was taken up by tlie farmers on the lighter soils of England, it was 

 likely that mills would be established. With regard to the difference 

 in quality of the fibre of the flax grown on the Cotswold Hills and in 

 Ireland, might not that be attributable rather to the difterence in the 

 climate than to the difference in the character of the soils ? On 

 the eastern coasts of England, wlicru the soils are more favourable to 

 the culture of flax, being of a liglit loamy nature, would not the much 

 drier climate materially influence the equality of the fibre ? 



Mr. Bealk BiiowNE : Of course flax delights in moisture, and the 

 more moist the climate the better the fibre, and the greater its length. 

 Still I have no doubt whatever that the quality of the fibre dei)ends 

 upon the soil. A greater length of fibre was to be got in a moist, 

 than in a dry climate. Last year, being a dry season in the north of 

 Ireland, tlie flax was much shorter than in the south, and that was 

 entirely owing to the drouglit. I'lax is a very thirsty plant, but it 

 may be grown in an inch of soil ujion a turnpike-road, if only the 

 power of watering it daily is provided. The eastern coast, being 

 peculiarly dr}"-, would not be so suitable for flax in ordinary years as 

 the western coast where there is much more moisture. 



Mr. Maguikk, M.P. for Dungarvtm, said that he had some personal 

 knowledge in reference to the growtli of flax in the south of Ireland ; 

 that he believed it was of the utmost importance to establish factories 

 in tliat part of the country, and that they must try to render the three 

 provinces of Connaught, Leinster, and Munster, independent of grain- 

 crops, or they would be constantly coming to Parliament and appealing 

 ad misericord I am for aid. Entertaining a strong feeling on this subject, 

 he, with some other gentlemen in Cork, had established a company 

 for the spinning and weaving of flax, and they had erected a large 

 spinning-mill, which would contain on the 1st of January next 12,000 

 sjjindles. They were also establishing a weaving-factory. To give 

 indirect encouragement to the growth of flax, they last year arranged 

 that a portion of their fmids siiould be applied in the folio w-ing 

 ruanner. Having erected a scutching-mill, they induced the agi-i- 

 cultural body of the city and county of Cork to establish a market for 

 flax, and they scarcely ever allowed a single load of flax to go out of 

 the market without purchasing it. So that in the course of about 

 five months they purchased from 2,000Z. to 3,000/. worth of flax. 

 This was brought to them in every conceivable state. Some of it was 

 scutched, and that very badly ; and some again was in the straw. 



He could give no scientific opinion with regard to the particular soil 

 that would grow flax the best, but he had heard from the buyers, the 

 farmers, and other persons with whom he had been in com- 

 munication on the subject, that last year good flax was grown 



