150 



MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



may, by the proper application of scientific 

 principles to its culture, be rendered one of the 

 least expensive or exhaustinap crops that tlie 

 acriculturist can have to do with. 



There is finally to be noticed, in relation to 

 the secondary advantages of the Flax crop, the 

 utilization of the seed, either as food or for sow- 

 ing. It appears now well established, that the 

 fibre is not injured by allovv'ing the plant to form 

 the seed,* and that the seed may be saved in 

 good condition under the ordinary circumstances 

 of our climate. This is a very important addi- 

 tion to the value of the crop : the ."^eed being 

 employed for preparing oil ; the residual linseed 

 cake being a very valuable food for cattle, or 

 for manure ; or the unripened seed in the cap- 

 sules, or bowes, as they are termed, may be at 

 once given to cattle. The hu.sks of the seed 

 vessels have been used as food for cattle in the 

 north of Ireland, and by the testimony of Mr. 

 Nevin, and of Mr. Charley, with remarkable ad- 

 vantage. In fact, it would appear that there is 

 no part of this very remarkable plant that is not 

 directly or indirectly capable of being applied 

 to useful purposes. 



The great value of it to this country is, how- 

 ever, that its cultivation supplies not merely a 

 source of agricultural, but also of manufacturing 

 employment. In this respect, it is far more 

 beneficial than a food crop of the same money 

 value, or occupying the same ground. The flax, 

 as it leaves the hand of the farmer, gives a live- 

 lihood to the dresser, from him it passes to the 

 spinner, to the weaver, the bleacher, and per- 

 haps to the embroiderer, according to its desti- 

 nation. Mr. Andrews illustrates the actual pro- 

 fit and employment given by the crop described 

 page 331, in a calculation which, after cor- 

 rection of a few ty pogi'aphical errors, stands thus: 

 " 100 stones at 15.s. — £75 ; each .stone calcu- 

 lated to produce 5| lbs. of dressed Flax — in all 

 5.50 lbs. — spun to 30 hanks to the lb., will pro- 

 duce 16,500 haiik.s. About 158 females will be 

 employed twelve months in spinnintr, at the rate 

 of two hanks per week (six working day.s) ; 

 wages for spinning each hank, about Is. 8d., or 

 nearly 7d. per diem for each spinner. This 

 quantity of yarn would make 210 webs of cam- 

 bric pocket-handkerchiefs, each web containini? 

 five dozen. About 18 weavers would be twelve 

 months weaving this quantitj-, allowing each 

 man a month for each web (17^ weavers ex- 

 actly) ; v/ages per web, £2 ; or from 9s. 6d. to 

 1 Os. per man per week. About 40 females 

 would be emploj'ed t\\'elve months in needle- 

 work (hemstitch orveinintr); each could do one 

 handkerchief on each working day ; wages 8s. 

 per dozen, or 8d. per day. The goods, when 

 finished, would be worth £2 10s. per dozen. 

 158 spinners 1 2 months, or .52 weeks, at 



at about 3s. 4d. per week £1,369 6 8 



18 vireavers 12 months, at £24 per ann. 432 



40 needlewomen .52 weeks, at 4s. each 



per week 416 



216 pcr-sons employed. 



Amount of wages £2,217 6 8 



Cost of Flax 75 



£2,292 6 8 

 Value 1,050 doz. hdkfs, at £2 10s. pr doz. £2,62.5 



Profit £332 13 4 



» Rut the cloth from eeed Flax must be bleached 

 J^hemicHlly, and for certain goods subject to gruHt 

 exposures, a.^ ciinvass, this is objected to throughout 

 the world. [Ed. Farm. Lib. 



(711) 



The realizing of this great amount of vaJue 

 depends on the delicacy given to the fibre, and 

 it is hence that so much is due to the leading 

 members of the Flax Society, for their exertions 

 by example and by publications, ibr the intro- 

 duction of the most approved Belgian methods. 

 While thus recognizing the benefits which are 

 likely to accrue to Irish industry- from this mod- 

 em institution, it is important not to forget howr 

 much we owe to others. The Eoyal Dublin 

 Society, almost immediately on its foundation, 

 applied itself anxiously to promote the culture 

 of Flax, and to improve the methods of its pre- 

 paration. They obtained the assistance of per- 

 sons well experienced in the Belgian processes, 

 and so early as 1739 published a volume of papers, 

 principally occupied with directions for the 

 growth and treatment of Flax, and which con- 

 tained, intelligibly laid do%vn, ahno.st every de- 

 tail of the processes now being introduced as 

 the ne^vest and most advantageous. Owing to 

 the disa.strous social condition of the country, 

 which has so kept it back in every branch of 

 peaceful enterprise, the beneficent intentions of 

 the Royal Dublin Society were not ean-ied out, 

 but now that with renewed energy, it labors to 

 awaken Irit^h industry, that it possesses in nu- 

 merous junior societies so ftiauy active coopera- 

 tors, and that the people, by education and 

 steadiness of habits, are become more fitted 

 for the pursuits of peaceful industry, it is to be 

 hoped that the seed shall no longer be scattered 

 upon an unfruitful soil, but spring forth with a 

 .sound and vigorous vegetation, which may 

 bring peace, abundance and contentment to the 

 land. 



It only remains to indicate, in a general man- 

 ner, the extent to which th.e mechanical matn- 

 facture of Flax is prosecuted in this country. In 

 the work on Ireland, published by Mr. and Mrs. 

 Hall, some statistical results are given, which 

 they obtained by personal inquiry in Belfast, 

 and which, though probably above the U-uth, 

 are not more exaggerated than is usual with 

 such general estimates. They consider that 

 there are in Belfast, now at work, 155,000 spin- 

 dles, consuming 210 tons of Flax per week, and 

 that there are employed in the manufacture of 

 Flax. 170,000 hands. They estimate the total 

 number of persons supported by the linen trade 

 as not less than half a million ; that the aimuaJ 

 value of the linen cloth manufactured in Ulster 

 is not less than £4,000,000 : the capital involved 

 in its production not less than £5,000,000, and 

 that the annual amount of wages paid to those 

 engaged in the manufacture amounts to £1,200.- 

 000. This sum, for the 170,000 above mentioned, 

 would make the average wages to be only 2s. 

 9d. per week. 



The extent of this manufactin-e stands in 

 such relief from the usual absence of all manu- 

 facturing industry in Ireland, that ^\■e frequent- 

 ly attach to it a degree of importance and an 

 idea of absolute magnitude that it does not re- 

 ally possess. Thus we often hear the linen 

 manufacture spoken of as being the staple of 

 this country, whilst wool and cotton are in re- 

 turn the natural manufactures of the sister king- 

 dom. In reality, however, Ireland is almo.st a.s 

 much behind in this as in every other branch of 

 industry. The town of Dundee alone is consider- 

 ed to manufacture as much linen as all Ireland, 

 and the relation which the maimfacture of Flax 

 bears in the three kingdoms is exactly shown 

 in the following table, which is extracted irom 

 the Report of "the Factory Inspectors ior 1839, 



