286 REPORT—1852. 
Composition of the Ash of the Flax-straw before and after steeping, and of 
the Inorganic Matters of the Steep-water. 
100 parts of each respectively contained— 
Unsteeped Steeped Ash of the 



flax. flax. steep water. 
Motash ser ee LS 11°40 19°31 
ee ee ee ee 5°33 4°17 he 
Chloride of potassium .... ore ae 3°83 
Chloride of sodium ...... 6°47 3°28 21°94 
te ee oe ees 18°86 17°69 8:23 
Ween aes a 5°50 10°18 
Oeide afaron 2. SS SO 5°76 Re) 
Sulphuric acid): 20) .... ° 11°16 4°07 6°10 
Phosphoric acid.......... 9°63 11°87 Stil 
Carbonic acid’ *..: .. 7... ° 10°37 20:06 23°30 
PONGHY. <. . ae 15°23 15°78 1°12 
2 Wire Bima fupte a ee aaa & = bi 0°60 
100°43 99°58 99°77 
Ash per cent. in the straw . . 3°89 2°59 ape 
100 grs. of the dried extract of the steep-water contained 1°56 nitrogen, 
=1-89 grs. of ammonia; therefore an imperial gallon would be capable of 
supplying 5 grs.; and a vat containing 3000 gallons of water, 251, lbs., 
worth about 1s. 2d., and would convey to the fields of the farmer about the 
same weight of phosphoric acid. 
By the kindness of the proprietors of the Patent Steeping-Works at Cregagh, 
who have liberally given me an opportunity of inspecting the books of their 
establishment, I am enabled to give the following average statement of the 
changes which 100 tons of flax undergo, when treated by Schenck’s process. 
100 tons of air-dried flax-straw yield— 
Tons. 
1. By Seeding—33 tons of seed and husks, leaving of seeded flax.. 67 
2. By Steeping—67 tons of seeded flax yield of steeped straw .... 39°5 
3. By Scutching—39$ tons of steeped straw yield of dressed flax.. 5°90 
EUROS IG BS To 17 Seon ee a EERSTE Tv VR 1:47 
Flax Cotton—The irregularity in the supply of cotton, the raw material 
of an important allied branch of English manufacture, and of which it is cal- © 
culated the mills of the United Kingdom require annually a quantity equal 
to 1000 tons daily, has at various times suggested attempts to convert our 
indigenous flax into a form which might render it capable of being spun with 
the ordinary cotton machinery. It appears that attempts to produce from 
flax a substance possessing the properties of cotton, were many years ago 
made by a Swede named Des Charmes, and that in 1775 Lady Moira com- 
municated to the Society of Arts some experiments which, suggested by those 
of the Swede, she had made in this country. Her ladyship’s experiments are 
to us peculiarly interesting, as her letters show that they were carried on at 
her seat, the present residence of David Ker, Esq., M.P., only twelve miles 
distant from Belfast. Neither Des Charmes’ nor Lady Moira’s experiments: 
seem to have led to any practical application of the proposed substitute for 
the foreign material; and though subsequent trials for the same purpose 
were made by various persons, the public do not appear to have placed any 
confidence in their plans. Lately, however, the project has been revived by 
a Brazilian gentleman, the Chevalier Claussen, known to the public as the 
inventor of an ingenious loom. This gentleman has been more successful than ~ 



