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139 



ges that may be reasonably ex- 

 pected to result, and the farmer 

 need not to be told that " in all 

 his operations, parsimony is never 

 so ill judged, as when it is exercis- 

 ed in the selection of his seeds." 

 " It is not pretended, however, 

 but that from the great variety of 

 soil and climate in the United 

 States, the object in view might be 

 obtained without importation ; 

 yet it may be important to have a 

 good stock to begm with, when 

 trials could be instituted with its 

 produce. At any rate it cannot be 

 expected that individuals will em- 

 bark in such a course of experi- 

 ments, either with foreign or do- 

 mestic seed, unless encouraged by 

 agricultural societies, or other 

 public bodies. 



In speaking of the soils most 

 suitable for flax Mr. Pomeroy ob- 

 serves '' The soils which rank first 

 in this country on the fiat bottoms, 

 that are covered by the fall and 

 spring floods, which subside early 

 enough in the season to get in a 

 crop ; those river flats on the 

 second banks, that have a depth of 

 strong alluvial soil ; the reclaim- 

 ed marshes and swamps with a 

 black unctuous soil not too peaty, 

 with as much clay in the composi- 

 tion as will permit its being ren- 

 dered soon dry and mellow, and 

 not retain water on or near the 

 surface, if it stands two feet below, 

 so much the better, but it must be 

 well guarded by ditches and 

 dykes against sudden freshets. 

 Such is the soil of the province of 

 Zealand, where more flax is raised, 

 and of better quality than in any 

 other part of Holland. The next 



in estimation are the strong black 

 loams on clay, or hard pan, that 

 will retain moisture. Yellow- 

 loams, with a holding subsoil, may 

 be rendered snitabh^ for flax, by 

 proper cultivation ; and since the 

 discovery that plaster of Paris is 

 an excellent manure for it, a crop 

 may be obtained with much more 

 certainty on lighter land than for- 

 merly. — Perhaps the characteris- 

 tic of best garden mould may be 

 applied to a tlax soil, viz. retaining 

 sufficient moisture, and all that 

 falls, without ever being saturated ; 

 but on any soils the surface should 

 be completely pulverized, and 

 never be worked when wet. 



" No dung should be applied to 

 the land when the flax is sown, 

 but may be put on bountifully with 

 the previous crop. The objec- 

 tion is, that dung forces the growth 

 so rapidly that the plants draw 

 weak, have a thin harle, and are 

 the more liable to lodge. — Lime, 

 marie, shells, leached ashes, &c. 

 do not produce such eflfects. Top- 

 dressings, soon after the plants ap- 

 pear, of plaster, ashes, soot, &c, 

 are highly beneficial, as they not 

 only encourage the growth, but axe 

 a protection against worms, which 

 sometimes attack young plants, 

 and may be considered the only 

 enemy they have, except weeds. 



" Salt has been mentioned by 

 the late Dr. Elliot, of Connecticut, 

 as an excellent manure to plough 

 in with flax at the rate of five 

 bushels to the acre ;* probably 

 more would be better. Plaster is 

 now much used in Duchess coun- 



* See Elliot's Essays on field husbandry. 



