m.MMNKl) CHOP 



1"' 



Kxperiments. 



LINUM 



USITATISBl MUM 



Flax 



,ury lor a combination crop. It would have to be discovered whether Fe*tumtob 

 a stock eould be evolved a little richer in fibre than that presently 

 j^rown, but. uhich would Mill yield a fair crop of seed. The class of 

 soils suited, the seasons of sowing, the methods of cultivation, and the 

 ..nod at which tin; harvest should be made, etc., etc., are some of the 

 of importance that the Indian cultivators could not be trusted to 

 i'jule and solve for themselves. Then the methods and applia 

 required for separation of the iibiv would have to be demonstrated, and 

 jill, the linal conclusion made abundantly clear, namelv thai, th- 

 >poeed departures from the time-honoured usages, in linseed culliva- 

 n, were in the raiyats 1 best interests, and that the vastly increased cost 

 seed to acre, the new expenditure in fibre-extracting appliances and 

 e extra labour involved, could all be justified by the much greater 

 returns obtained. 



In testing these and many other such aspects of the proposed new 

 purl tire, the experience gained in the past (very nearly futile) experi- 

 nts would have to be carefully borne in mind and the shortcomings 

 rded against. These results will be found in the Dictionary (v., 10-35) 

 it will be seen that the idea of utilising the fibre of the linseed plant 

 by no means new, but that several persons have unsuccessfully tried 

 obtain a useful fibre from it. For example, we read that some years 



the late Mr. Savi of Mohesgunge in Eastern Bengal found the stems Bengal, 

 linseed too thin and woody to afford fibre. In Assam the Director of Assam. 

 it ulture, we are told, made some experiments in 1901 to ascertain if 

 x could be produced in that province. The plants grew well enough 

 ,t were laid by heavy rain, and when taken up the fibre was found to 

 rotten. The following year better results were obtained, but the want 

 proper machinery, to separate the fibre, resulted in a report that denoted 

 perfect work rather than defective crop. In the report for 1904 it 

 stated that as the sowings had been made in spring, the crop had 

 ripen in July during the middle of the rains. It was accordingly 

 ntemplated to try an autumn sowing, notwithstanding the risk of 

 t. The report adds, " By sowing the crop in autumn it may 

 w and ripen in dry weather and escape the baneful influence of the 

 nsoon rains." 



Recent Experiments. It may now be stated that the Bihar Planters' Bihar, 

 ociation have recently taken interest in the possibility of flax-growing 

 ing usefully resorted to by the indigo planters as a supplementary crop, 

 t a meeting of the Dundee Chamber of Commerce (Sept. 20, 1904) this Dundee 

 ibject was alluded to with much interest, and a reference made to a commerce* 

 omunttee having obtained an audience of His Majesty's Secretary of State, 

 rith the express object of urging this matter as specially worthy of the 

 attention of the Government of India. The samples procured from Bihar 

 were pronounced such as to suit a large portion of the trade. It would More Hopeful, 

 lus seem that within the past few years the question of flax-production 

 lone, as well as of flax and linseed combined, have been once more 

 igaging the attention of many persons, and it may be said that it will 

 a fortunate circumstance if a solution of the problem be at last found 

 und a new and prosperous industry given to India, in continuation of 

 the already long list of those that owe their existence or development 

 to British commercial enterprise. It must never be forgotten, however, 

 that linseed is at best a risky crop, and one that is resorted to by the Risky Crop. 



723 



Baneful 



Influence. 



