276 AGRICULTURAL TEXT-BOOK. 



It was believed that the barley crop was as good as if no flax 

 had been sown ; neighboring fields of barley alone giving the 

 same yield of 30 bushels. (Patent Office Reports 1846, p, 



611. Linseed oil, being essential for painting, is in constantly 

 increasing demand. The Cake is greatly depended on in Great 

 Li. tain for fattening stock, and adding to the richness of manure 

 heaps. It is quoted at wholesale prices in New York at $28 to 

 $35, and in London at $45 to 50 per ton. The best quality of 

 the fibre in Ireland is worth from $250 to $300 per ton. 



Thompson, in his experiments on cows, found that Linseed- 

 meal produced less milk and butter than Bean-meal. In feed 

 ing, too large quantities of linseed must not be given. About 2 

 Ibs. of meal, boiled for 3 hours in 3 J gallons of water, is a suf 

 ficient daily allowance, with other food, for an animal weighing 

 800 Ibs. The refuse of the pods is valuable as feed. 



612. In large sections of the &quot;West, it were of much importance to Ag 

 riculturists to influei\ce the establishment of Mills for the preparation of 

 fibre, and for oil-makihg. The two should always go together. 



Two patents for the preparation of the fibre are now used in 

 Europe, and are represented as working economically, and requiring on 

 ly a small capital. They are SCHEBK S and WATT S Patents, an account 

 of which will be found in the Journal and Trans, of the Highland and 

 Agricul. Socy. of Scotland No. 42, p. 11 6. The Royal Flax Society have 

 published much of importance on this sabjcct. Not only is the farmer 

 interested in the direct profit of the crop, &quot;but also in the fattening and 

 manure-forming refuse ; and as the business of preparing cattle in tbe 

 West, for the Eastern market increases, flax willbecome essentially more 

 important to us. But above all, it brings the manufacturer in direct 

 contact with the farmer ; and forms a market for^is produce at his 

 very door. It is not usually very advisable for the farmer to connect 

 himself with manufacturing processes, but this is an exception ; and 

 there are thousands of acres devoted to corn and povk-makir^, in conse 

 quence of the difficulty of reaching a market for coarse grams, where 

 flax culture, with appropriate mills controlled by a company of former*, 

 would be found exceedingly profitable. 



