THE FLAX SUPPLY ASSOCIATION. 209' 



themselves regardless of inconvenience or expense. But such efforts can only 

 be spasmodic so long as there is no certainty of a supply of well-scutched flax 

 being- met with, sufficient to make the attendance on these markets a matter of 

 pure commercial advantage." 



In the direction of supplying machinery during the year 1868, grants, or 

 rather loans, for long periods, free of interest, were made towards this 

 object, as follows : — 



For a mill at TuUa, Co. Clare, _ _ _ £e^o 



„ Borrisokane, Co. Tipperary, - 100 



„ Skibbereen, Co. Cork, - 60 



Prizes for dressed flax to the amount of ;;^58 were paid away during the 

 year for competition at the following places : — ■ 



Londonderry, Co. Londonderry - - - ;^io 



Strokestown, Co. Roscommon, - - - 10 



Waterford, Co. Waterford, - - - 10 



Cork, Co. Cork, - - - - - 10 



Skibbereen, Co. Cork, - - - - 10 



Limerick, Co. Limerick, - - - - 8 



A series of markets were also eurranged in conjunction with the local 

 authorities to be held in Cork, Ballineen, and Limerick, regularly in the four 

 winter months, viz. :— October, November, December, and January. These 

 markets were attended by two or three buyers from the large spinning mills 

 in rotation. 



In June it was resolved that a careful inspection of the South and West 

 should be made in the interests of the Association at as early a date as 

 possible. Two experienced persons were shortly appointed — one to travel 

 through Connaught. and the other through Leinster ; the Secretary of the 

 Association undertaking a similar duty in Munster. A fund of very useful 

 information was thus acquired for the use and guidance of the Association 

 in the succeeding years. 



In July a collection of samples from waters intended for retting purposes 

 was secured, and a comparative analysis carried out in the Queen's College, 

 Belfast, to test their fitness for the purpose in view. They comprised twa 

 from King's County, one each from Tipperary, Waterford, and Roscommon, 

 seventeen from Cork, two from Kerry and two from Clare. 



Considerable attention was also paid in the spring to the matter of having 

 good seed available for the farmer in all hkely districts, but the care neces- 

 sary to carry out in detail the plans sketched in the extracts given above 

 occupied the chief attention of the Secretary and his assistants. 



In 1869 work of a similar character was continued. The loans were as 

 follows :— 



For a mill at Rosscarbery, Co. Cork, - - £-^^0 



Mallow, „ - - 60 



Kilworth, „ - - 60 



„ Skibbereen, „ - - 50 



„ Rosscarbery, „ - - 60 



Killala, Co. Mayo, - - 78 



