48 I'LAX. 



the 20th of July ; that sown in the middle of April, will 

 be ready quite at the end of July or the beginning of 

 August ; that sown so late as the middle of May, in the 

 course of the month of August. The nature of the soil 

 on which the crop is grown will hasten or retard the date 

 of its fitness to pull. In general terms, maturity is indi- 

 cated by the change of colour of the stalk, by a portion 

 of the leaves falling off, and by the natural opening of 

 the earliest formed capsules. 



M. Matthieude Dombasle, in his " Questions Agricoles," 

 reports that the Yorkshire flax-growers declare that in 

 order to have first-rate flax, they ought to select as the 

 time for pulling it, the moment when the grain informed, 

 without being ripe : they say that, if it be allowed to 

 ripen thoroughly, the quality of the flax is inferior, the 

 filaments are less supple, and the linen made from them 

 does not bleach well. " It is certain," he adds, "that in 

 order to obtain a good sample of fibre, the flax ought to 

 be pulled long before the perfect maturity of the seed, 

 and when it is formed in the capsules, but still green and 

 tender. I believe that this is the cause of the degenera- 

 tion of flax, whenever such seed is employed for 

 reproduction ; and that this is the reason why, in those 

 cantons where this branch of agriculture is best under- 

 stood, they are forced to renew their stock from time to 

 time, by importing seed from Hussia, where it is probable 

 the plants are allowed to reach a more complete stage of 

 maturity, because there the seed is the principal object." 



But the flax-growers of the north of France correctly 

 observe that the above is an unnatural and unnecessary 

 practice ; and we strongly recommend the methods in use 

 there as a guide to the English farmer who attempts to 

 grow this valuable crop for the first time. There can be 

 no doubt that by too early pulling, in order to obtain 

 flax suitable for the finer fabrics, strength may be 

 sacrificed without gaining a proportional improvement in 

 the delicacy of the fibre. The main advantage will be a 

 shorter and easier bleaching process, which, in point of 

 fact, is dearly bought. The plan of the best French flax- 



