REGENERATION OF IRELAND. 143 



Tims, the Flax imports for the last six 

 years gives an animul average of 67,849 

 tons, which at the valuation quoted for 

 1840, will be about 67 per ton, or 4,545,883 



Add average annual .imports of Flax- 

 seed used for sowing and feeding, 

 616,000 quarters, valued at 4 per 

 quarter (being 20s. per quarter under 

 the price for some years past, in Ire- 

 land, for Flax-seed for sowing) ... 2,464,000 



Add average annual imports of Oil-cake 



86,000 tons, valued at 9 per ton 774,000 



It therefore appears we have been paying 

 annually for Flax, Oil-cake, and Seedy 



for the last six years, on an average 7,783,883 



" I am, Sir, your obedient servant, 



"J. HILL DICKSON. 

 Dublin, 1st Feb., 1850." 



"AGRICULTURE FLAX CULTURE. 



" The reader's attention will be arrested by a letter from 

 J. Hill Dickson, Esq., which we publish in another column of 

 this day's Journal. Bitterly do we deplore the unaccountable 

 apathy prevailing in this poor district in reference to the 

 subject treated by Mr. Dickson. We have repeatedly urged 

 upon the landed-proprietors and farmers of this locality, the 

 advantage and the necessity of uniting together for the 

 purpose of directing the agricultural resources at our disposal, 

 into a more profitable direction. It is true, we could not and 

 did not expect, either from our gentry or farmers, the 

 application of capital sufficient to make our farms compete 

 with Belgium or the Mid-Lothians ; for the simple reason, 

 that we know full well they have not the means. We scarcely 

 know one of our acquaintance who is in a position to spend 



