Fiax Culture. 435 



tiirers, and there were no mills ready at hand for its proper treatment. 

 In the course of last summer a speech was delivered by Lord John 

 Manners, in Leicestershire, which placed the culture of flax in so 

 pleasing a light in respect of profit, that one would have supposed that 

 English farmers would take to the growth of flax to such an extent 

 that it would supersede the wheat-crop. But liow did it turn out V 

 In the county of Kent, where he resided, several attempts were made 

 on a small scale. For example, on a neighbouring estate to his own, 

 a gentleman grew suflicient flax to make a table-cloth, and being high 

 sheriflt' of the county he sent it for the dinner-table of the Grand Jiuy 

 at the assizes. Well, they had had these curiosities. But the general 

 answer which he had received on the subject was just that with which 

 Sir E. Kerrison had closed his able remarks. If the culture of flax 

 could be practically adopted for the benefit of the farmers ; if it could 

 be recommended as ensuring a fair return of profit for their capital, 

 skill, and labour, v/ell and good. But if it could not, then they might 

 say of the flax-crop what the medical man observed respecting the 

 cucumber : the best mode of dressing the cucumber, said he, is to 

 employ so much oil, so much pejiper, so much vinegar, &c., and then, 

 when the i)rocess is finished, the whole should be thrown out of 

 window ! He hoped, however, that they were not coming to such a 

 conclusion as that on the present occasion ; though he should like to 

 know in what direction it was advisable to go ; whether they were to 

 advance, or hold their hand and wait until things were in a better 

 position with regard to mills, markets, and manufocturers. 



Mr. Maguire, M.P., said : A scutching-mill established in any locality 

 would be a complete protection for the farmer ; for when once the flax 

 Vv'as converted into a marketable article it was of such small bulk that 

 it could be sent to any part of the country at very little cost. In 

 Cork they could say to the farmers, " We do not ask you to grow flax, 

 we are independent of you ; " for they could get dovvii from Ulster 

 a ton of flax worth 60/. or 70/., at a cost of 25s. only for carriage. 

 And if they did nothing more with the produce than make it into yarn 

 they coidd send a bale of it of the value of 300/. or 400/. up to Belfast, 

 the seat of the manufacture, for 25s. a ton by the steamer. If the 

 farmer were within a distance of 10 or 12 miles fi'om a scutching-mill 

 he would be perfectly independent. Flax was a good and paying 

 crop, but not unless they could convert the straw into a portable 

 manufactm-ed article. 



The President : Before a vote of thanks is proposed to Mr. Beale 

 Browne, I think I may say generally that it is the opinion of those 

 who are interested in the cultivation of flax in England, and this has 

 been ably put by Mr. Maguire, that neither in this country nor in 

 Ireland do we recommend farmers to grow flax unless they have 

 markets for it, and there are companies or individual manufacturers 

 near at hand who would undertake the scutching, dressing, and pre- 

 paration of the fibre. 



On the motion of Mr. Wells, seconded by Mr. H. Wilson, a vote of 

 thanks was passed to Mr. Beale Browne. 



