Flax Culture. 4^7 



in every j)art of Ireland, and on every description of soil ; but that 

 there was a failure to a certain extent in the quality of the fibre, not 

 because it was badly grown, but because it was badly handled. There 

 was a great want of moisture last year in Ireland. 



The farmers had comjiletely lost the knowledge of the growth of 

 flax in many parts ; and the machinery for their education or training 

 in the matter was very imjoerfect indeed. The Government j)romiscd 

 o,000Z. for establishing inspectors, but they acted so clumsily that the 

 training or teaching had not reached the farmers as a body. Some of 

 the farmers were very ignorant, whilst many of those whom the 

 instructors endeavoured to teach were obstinate, and woidd have their 

 own way. They did not understand the process of steeping, and the 

 result was that in many instances flax which was admirably grown, 

 and, if properly steeped, would have produced a large i)rice, realised 

 a very small sum. Indeed, the manager of his company had informed 

 him that it would be little more difficult to make a fibre out of copjjer 

 wire than out of some of the flax ^^'hich was brought to the mill. So 

 badly was it steeped, that it was fit for nothing but the manufacture of 

 coarse bags. 



He believed that in Ireland there was a wonderfully wide field 

 for the growers of flax. For the j^^^rpose of obtaining informa- 

 tion to guide him in the formation of the company at Cork, he had 

 visited Belfast and the north of Ireland. At Belfast the price of 

 flax had ranged from 50Z. to 250Z. a ton, but the latter price was never 

 reached by flax grown in Ireland ; it was for that produced in France 

 and Belgium, where the cultivation Avas carried on as a perfect science. 

 The groimd was jireparcd with the most wonderful care, especially in 

 the weeding, and by this means flax had become in those coimtries one 

 of the most valuable articles they produced. He saw several bags in 

 the stores of the millowners, which were worth 250Z. a ton. The Irish 

 farmer would be pleased if he could get 60/. a ton ; but he had seen 

 in the manufactories of the north of Ireland native-grown flax that 

 realised 101. and 80Z. a ton ; and he was told that flax of that kind 

 came from all parts of the country. He was sorry to say that the dis- 

 ajDpointment caused by the circumstance to which he had referred v/as 

 likely to check the growth of flax in Ireland this year. The Govern- 

 ment wex'e again bungling, for their insi^ectors did not receive their 

 dijilomas until a week after the last day on which flax should be sown. 

 A number of farmers who, in consequence of want of experience and 

 causes over which they had no control, were unsuccessful last year, 

 would not grow flax again this year. Others, however, who had 

 succeeded, or who had watched the successful experiments of their 

 neighbours, would devote themselves to its cultivation ; and in future 

 he believed that flax-growing in the south of Ireland would be on a far 

 better basis than heretofore. 



One word with regard to the north of Ireland. Even there they 

 had much yet to learn. At this moment there was not only an over- 

 growth of flax in that district, but a recldess sacrifice of that which 

 should be returned to the land, namely, what the plant itself had 

 extracted from the ground. The steep-water was all thrown away ; 



