472 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



The Messrs. McConnell are oflferiug to contract for tlie fiber at ftlOO iier ton, for all 

 they can get of Tvater-rotted, of good quality, ami $75 po- ton of dow-rotted. lUit 

 lienip of tiie same riuality i.s Avortli from ii5250 to $400, which leaves them a bonus ol' 

 from 100 to 300 per cent, on their patent. The crop is said not to exhaust the land if 

 the refuse is restored to it. The fabrics exhibited were certainly of very fine quality 

 and strength, both in the liber and the cordage. It receives all sorts of colors, and re- 

 tains them, it is said, nearly as well as wool. It is, therefore, of great value as a warp 

 for carpets, rugs, and cloths requiring color. It loses 50 jier cent, less than hemp, and 

 is of a texture and appearance equal to the best Russian hemp, and about the same 

 strength as Manila in cordage. 



IMi'. James H. McConnell, wlio lias paid nuicli attention to the cultiva- 

 tion of fiber plants, contributes a valuable paper on the cultivation of 

 flax. He says this plant will do Avell on a variety of soils, but can only 

 be brought to its fullest perfection in a rich, deep, and moderately moist 

 soil, containing in its composition much vegetable matter. Good corn- 

 lands will generally grow a profitable crop of flax. The land should be 

 deeply plowed and harrowed, and rolled until a very fine tilth is reached. 

 Plowing should talie place as early in the spring as the complete depart- 

 ure of frosts will permit, and the seed should be sown immediately 

 after. The seed should be harrowed in well. In order to secure an 

 evenness of vegetation it is advisable to go over the land again with a 

 light roller. The quantity of seed sown should depend upon the object 

 desired. If for fiber, about two bushels of seed, evenly sown, will be 

 required to the acre ; but if seed alone are desired, about one-half bushel 

 to the acre will be found sufficient. Care should be taken to select good 

 seed, as the success of the crop will materially depend upon this point. 

 Proper seed for cultivation are bright, smooth, and very slippery, and 

 plump and sufiiciently heavy to sink in water. The interior of the seed, 

 when broken open, should present a yellow-greenish appearance, and 

 taste sweet and oily. 



As to the time of cutting and the proper mode of preparing the plant 

 for fiber, Mr. McConnell says : 



If the finest fiber is desired, the cro}) should be harvested as soon as the blos- 

 soms have fallen off. The plants should be bound in small bundles, and immediately 

 submitted to the water-rotting process. If you contemplate dew-rotting the plants, 

 allow them to stand until nearly ripe. As soon. as they are cut down, bind the 

 plants in small bundles, and place them in shocks of convenient size, to cure. AVhen 

 sufficiently cured, stack them well, and allow them to remain until the season for dew- 

 rotting arrives, which is about the middle of October. If seed are desired, allow the 

 crop to stand until ripe, and then treat it substantially in the same manner as oats. 

 Ten bushels of seed and 600 j)ounds of fiber are good average crops ; but frequently 

 as many as 20 bushels of seed arc grown per acre on the fertile lands of Illinois. 



Alluding to the profits of flax culture, Mr. McConnell states that the 

 farmers of Champaign County last season sold their flax-sti*aw at a 

 price which paid all expenses of raising the crop, and had left for profit 

 from 10 to 15 bushels of seed per acre, which they sold at $2.50 per 

 bushel. 



In the course of an article on manufactures in Illinois, Mr. James W. 

 Dwyer alludes as follows to recent efforts in the manufacture of beet- 

 root sugar : 



Notwithstanding much had been said and written upon this subject in this county, it 

 appears that no regular or systematic effort to manufacture sugar from the beej'had 

 ever been attempted in the United States until the purchase of 2,500 acres of laad in 

 Livingston County in this State, and the erection of the sugar-beet factory at Qiats- 

 wortli by the Messrs. Cheneith Brothers. Not having sufficient capital to fully ;arry 

 out their designs, they forjned a joint-stock company, the stock being mostly taktn by 

 l^arties in Springfield, who embarked in this novel undertaking more from raoti-es of 

 pure State pride and patriotism than from the hope of any large profits. Everyhing 

 that was called for which money could procure was furnished without stint ; bit, mx- 

 fortunately for the company, and still more unfortunately for the agriculture and nanu- 



