1S37] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



173 



bers. The periods of decision are, Easter, when 

 the operation of plantiniz; corn is fairly over; the 

 Sunthiy after harve?r, after soodiiiii- wheat; and at 

 Christmas. A hiank is icept by uie lor tiie purpose 

 of notiniX opposite the rospeclivc names any de- 

 liaqiioncies, which, in presence oi" the hands the 

 forein;in is sometimes called on, witiiout lear, fiivor, 

 or ati'oction, to report, if anj'. This moriiirig, tlic 

 first report, was made, without delinquency. Tlie 

 division of $50 was soon made, and nothing re- 

 mained but lo insert opposite each class the amount 

 to which its n)embcrs were entitled. The ticket 

 was then handed to the ibreman, with a request to 

 my merchant in the village to credit them lor that 

 amount of merchandize, (other than whiskey) at 

 the store; any unexpended balance rcmaininci: to 

 their credit till the next dividend. It would have 

 done j'our heart good, sir, to have seen them 

 niarchiniz: oft' to-day, with faces rachant as tlie 

 moon, to buy each a holiday suit, or some article 

 of comlbrt, and which will constantly remind them 

 of their duty and its reward. I can say for this 

 experiment, that never certainly in my lile, fiave I 

 had so much work, so well done, nor with equal 

 cheerfulness and satislaction, not having had occa- 

 sion to utter an angr}^ word, except to a little cattle 

 minder, the irksomeness of whose employment will 

 ever produce delinquencies, and all this with very 

 little attention on my part. Some of my neighbors, 

 however, predict, that I shall enter a retraxit on 

 this point, belbre the end of the year; may be so — 

 nous verrons. Also, that it will tend, to foster dis- 

 content, and that spirit of insubordination which 

 had its origin in abolitionism. On these points, 

 neither, will I pretend positively to decide; but I 

 cannot doubt but that the relationship between 

 my slaves and mj-self has been greatly strength- 

 ened by the system, and that they could scarcely 

 be pursuaded to change it by Arthur Tappan and 

 his minions. By the by, I wish Tom, that is to 

 say (thouo:h to honest, well-meaning (oik Tom is 

 a perlcct Toby,) Old Nick had 'em. I am very 

 sure he wouki turn the tables upon them, and com- 

 mend to their lips something too hot even for their 

 hellish sup, and if he did not give them a little 

 turn of Oliver le Diable, at any rate hold 'em very 

 "oneasy." You have now Mr. Editor, my holi- 

 day issue, which I fear me you will find like too 

 much other paper of the day, and in somewhat of 

 a harlequin dress too, which mayhap, you will 

 think befits "Old Tyro." 



Very respectfully, 



Your iriend and well-wisher, 



J. H. Bernard. 



From tlie New England Farmer. 

 NEW ZEALAND FLAX — (PHORBIIUM TENAX.) 



3fr. Editor : — I have lately introduced a few of 

 these very rare plants from France, in the confi- 

 dent expectation that in many parts of our country, 

 we shall most assuredly find a congenial climate 

 and soil, and that the plant may prove a most in- 

 valuable acquisition to our fiivored land. 



The phormium tenax is a native of New Zea- 

 land, an island, or rather a frroup of islands, ly- 

 ing between the parallels of 35° and 45'' of south- 

 ern latitude. I send you a leaf o( the plant, a 

 stout, strong flag, from three to four feet long, and 

 near 2^ inches broad — but even in England and 

 in Ireland, the plant produces leaves from five to 



eight feet long, and of a breadth in proportion. — 

 Iir many parts of our country, they mny attain to 

 liir greater dimensions. The. plant is a variety of 

 (lag of an ornamental appearance. The blos- 

 soms which are produced on a tall spike, are eta- 

 ted to be smaller, but more numerous than those of 

 the flay. 



In England as well as in Ireland, in latitude 

 52° and 53°, it has been long tried in several gar- 

 dens, and there found to be a perfectly hardy 

 plant. Possibly, however, it may not be able to 

 sustain, without protection, the extreme rigors of the 

 winters of the more northern states. As the leaves 

 of the plant are gathered in autumn, it may per- 

 haps require that slight protection of a very thin 

 covering of moss, which we are accustomed ta 

 bestow on many herbaceous plants, not, however, 

 sufficient to smother and destroy, but merely suf- 

 ficient to break the Ibrce of cold winds, and as 

 a screen from the pernicious rays of the sun du- 

 ring winter. I am unable, as yet, to say whether 

 such slight protection may or may not, be required 

 lor the phormhim tenax, in some of the states ol' 

 the north. So inconsiderable, however, is the 

 expense of labor or of time, that I am persuaded 

 an active man would be capable of securing with 

 a slight covering of moss, an acre of plants in a 

 single day. 



The phormhim tenax is a perennial herba- 

 ceous plant, the leaves resembling those of the 

 flag. With very little preparation, they form 

 clothing, canvass and cordage. The two last of 

 which are stated to be incomparably stronger than 

 any thing of the kind, made of hemp. The leaves 

 of the plant grow in Ireland from five to eight leet 

 high; these are cut in the iidi, and the next year 

 will produce a new crop. The plants may be 

 raised from seeds or from oflsets, which are very 

 numerous; these however, should not be separa- 

 ted until the fourth year. The leaves which are cut 

 in autumn, are succeeded the next summer by a 

 nev/ and luxuriant crop. Mr. Salisbury has found 

 that a plant three years old, will produce thirty- 

 six leaves, and six leaves have produced one ounce 

 of dry, available fibres; and at this rate, he has 

 calculated that a single acre set out, the plants at 

 three leet assunder, will yield more than sixteen 

 hundred pounds of the prepared flax to the acre, 

 which is a great produce compared either to that 

 of flax or of hemp, and the fibres are separated 

 with much less labor than either of these require. 

 The leaves are cut in autumn Avhen full grown, 

 and after being steeped for a few hours in stag- 

 nant water, they are passed between two rollers, 

 the upper one of which is properly loaded, which 

 causes the fibres to separate, and these being 

 washed in a running stream, become instantly 

 while. The natives of New Zealand make their 

 most choice clothing of the long, slender fibres, 

 beautifully white, and lustrous as silk, and of the 

 leaves split in strips and tied together, they make 

 fishing nets of extraordinary size. 



The government of Great Britain fully aware 

 of the supei'iority and importance of this plant, 

 have taken great pains by acts of their legislature, 

 to encourage its cultivation, both in Britain and in 

 Australasia— but most all the seeds brought by 

 voyagers, lost their power of vegetation. 



Singular, however, as it seemed, the identical 

 plant was at last Ibund flourishing luxuriantly in the 

 south of Ireland, in several gardens in Waterfbrd, 



