312 ON FLAX, ITS VALUE, ETC. 



1st, From the food being' cut, gTound, and given in a warm 

 state, both mastication and digestion is considerably assisted, 

 and thereby the animals obtain more rest, and consequently 

 fatten in less time. 2nd, By using- the compound a greater 

 number of cattle can be fed, which is a very important 

 matter, more particularly where turnips are not plentiful. 

 3rd, The manure produced by this method of feeding- is 

 found to be more valuable than by turnip feeding only. 



Henry Chaytor, Esq., of Clerveaux Castle, said, that if 

 the system of stall or box feeding- cattle were carried out to 

 a g-reater extent than at present, he had no doubt but that it 

 would be beneficial, more particularly if the linseed required 

 for the purpose was cultivated and g-rown upon the farm 

 where it was consumed ; and he had very little doubt but 

 that the system partially detailed by Mr. Dixon, the secre- 

 tary, might be carried out successfully, as well as beneficiall}^; 

 and if the fibre of the flax could be profitably saved and 

 prepared for the manufacturer, which he did not see any 

 reason to doubt, he thought it would be the means of pro- 

 ducing- a g'ood deal of labour in vacant seasons for the wives 

 and families of the labouinng- man, which, he considered^ 

 would be a very good thing. Now, a g-ood deal had been 

 said with regard to flax being" an exhausting- crop, and no 

 doubt it mig-ht be so ; yet he had reason to believe that 

 wheat and some other crops were also exhausters of the land, 

 perhaps as much as flax 5 therefore, in that respect, he fan- 

 cied there were no difficulties but what could be removed by 

 judicious cultivation and a proper course of cropping*. But 

 in discussing- this subject there were so many thing-s which 

 oug-ht to be taken into account, that it was, he thoug-ht, 

 utterly impossible for the present meeting- to come to any 

 correct conclusion; for, although Mr. Dixon had entered 

 pretty larg-ely on the subject, yet there were many points 

 which bore upon the subject that would require explanation : 

 as, for instance, he had not shown how it would answer to 

 stall-feed in summer with g-rass cut from old sward, in com- 

 parison with tares, clover, or rape. He also thought that 

 Mr. Dixon's estimate of the expenses of cultivating- an acre 

 of land and winning- the flax was too hig-h, as was also the 

 value that he put upon ordinary land; yet there was no 

 doubt but the profit would be equal, if not superior, to the 

 profits upon ordinary crops of corn, if at all judiciously 

 managed. 



Farmer's Magazine, Jan. 1847. 



