MANAGEMENT OF THE CROP. 99 



bably be sufficiently loosened in seven or eight days ; and if 

 on trial it is found to be so, it ought immediately to be taken 

 out. It is always safer to give it too little,, than too much 

 watering ; as the defect may be easily remedied by giving it 

 the longer time upon the ground : whereas a mistake on the 

 other hand cannot be repaired. When sufficiently watered, 

 it feels soft to the gripe, and the harle parts easily with the 

 boon or show, which last is then become brittle, and looks 

 whitish. The coarser the flax, the sooner it is watered. Each 

 beet when taken up should be gently rinsed in the pond, to 

 clean it of any mud or nastiness. 



If the flax is spread on poor ley, it will improve it greatly ; 

 and the water in which it has been steeped is also a valuable 

 manure, which should be carefully carried or conducted to 

 some ground that needs it, or weeds and straw, &c. thrown in 

 to absorb it and make dung. The flax should be spread thin 

 and equally, and handled tenderly. If it meet with a few 

 hours' dry weather after spreading, it will be so much the 

 better, as it will make the harle firm to bear the rain. 



If at any time the flax shall be allowed to ripen so far as 

 to harden its bolls (as at present), which it ought not, they 

 should be rippled off before it is put in the water, as they make 

 a rich and excellent food for cattle, mixed with boiled chaff, and 

 should be carefully dried and preserved for that purpose. 



At the Annual Meeting of the Tenants of the Earl of Erne's Estate 

 in Ireland, Capt. Skinner, the benevolent and zealous Secretary 

 of the Irish Flax Improvement Society, addressed the meeting ; 

 from whose speech I take the following brief and important 

 extract : 



Three years since the quantity of Irish flax grown was com- 

 puted to be about 25,000 tons. The increase of value upon 

 this amount effected through the exertions of the Society was, 

 at the least, taking a general average, 107. per cent., which 

 would gain a sum of 250,0007. additional in circulation among 

 our farmers. (Loud cheers.) But, my Lord Erne, it is now 

 understood by calculations, there be will be fully 14,200 tons of 



H 2 



