430 Abstract Report of Agricultural Discussions. 



to make it"'as perfect as possible ; and, tlirouglioiit, the greatest care is 

 taken in the operation. If, then, yon conhl take the flax to a rettery 

 conveniently situated, where it would be retted carefully, by being put 

 through the warm-water process, and thoroughly steeped, a great deal 

 more profit would be realised than by individuals taking it up in a 

 small way and attempting to do that which they have neither time 

 nor knowledge sufficient to enable them successfully to accomplish. 



The conclusion I arrive at is, that flax is a valuable part of our 

 cropijing. The time has gone by when people talked of the land 

 being ruined by this or that particular crop. I believe that flax is not 

 an exliausting crop — at all events that it is not more exhausting in 

 itself than other crops. It should be taken after clover-ley, wheat, oi* 

 l)arley stubble ; but no indolent or bad farmer can gi'ow flax profitably, 

 for the mere fact of his land being imperfectly cultivated, or not in 

 good tilth, would prevent his growing it with success. In Belgium it 

 has been found that if they grow it oftener than once in 7 or 8 years, 

 although they inmidate the soil with fresh maum-e, they arc unable to 

 produce the same length of straw. I hope that many of the restric- 

 tions provided against the cultm'C of flax will, by degrees, and by 

 means of discussions such as the present, be removed by the lamllords 

 who are now most opposed to it ; for I am satisfied it will form, and 

 indeed docs form, a portion of the cropping, which is very valuable 

 in some places ; and I quite agree with Mr. Beale Browne that in 

 certain seasons, with wheat at a certain price, the flax-crop would be 

 infinitely more remunerative than wheat. 



In the com-sc of this discussion reference lias been made to Calne, 

 and a gentleman there has been sjioken of as having engaged unsuc- 

 cessfully in the scutching of flax. Well, I have received a letter from 

 a company at Calne, and they say that the acreage of flax-cultivation, 

 within a circle of GO miles around Calne, increased tlu-ecfold between 

 18(33 and 1864 ; that they are giving from 121. to 17/. an acre for flax ; 

 tliat from 1^ to 2 tons of straw to the acre is about the ixsual quantity 

 gro\\'n, with 16 bushels of seed per acre, or sometimes in that locality 

 from 20 to 24. Tliey also mention the cm-ious fact that during last 

 year, when a Avant of rain, and consequent absence of tm-nips, was nmch 

 felt, and it was a difficult thing to keep a flock of sheep, that a flock 

 of 300 breeding-ewes was kept for 13 weeks, in fii'st-rate condition, 

 upon a bushel of linseed steeped and a bushel of meal daily, mixed 

 with straw cut into chaff, and they had neither roots nor hay during 

 that period. The seed I look upon as possessing most valuable feeding 

 properties, and, when mixed with bean-meal, I think it is preferable to 

 cake. The farmer who gi-ew flax would have the seed at his hand un- 

 adulterated ; and, if he chose to sell it, he would obtain the means of 

 purchasing a great deal more artificial manure than his wheat-crop, if 

 sold at last year's j)rice, would enable him to do. 



In the eastern part of England, and especially in Suffolk, where I 

 reside, the sm-face of flax-cultivation has increased in 17 years from 

 5 acres to 3000 acres ; and apparently it is increasing still at an equal 

 rate. That increase is attributable to the influence of the mills which 

 are established there. We are fortunate in having no monopoly in 



