234 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Feb. 9, 1831. 



ted States are not calculated to produce a good 

 growth of flax. 



Second — That flax which has been allowed to 

 Bland until the seed was ripe, is not capable of 

 being manufactured into fine cloth. 



Third — That flax is not capable of being spun 

 by machinery. 



Fourth — That spreading flax upon the ground 

 and dew rotting it, is the cheapest and best method. 

 Now we shall attempt, from our own observa- 

 tions, and the authority of others, to show these 

 opinions incorrect. 



As regards the quantity of flax produced per acre 

 in Ireland, Marshall, iu his report to the Linen and 

 Hempen Board, in 1817, gives the average quan- 

 tity at 500 lbs. In receiving this estimate, and 

 comparing it with the produce of our own soil, we 

 must make allowance for the difference in acres, 

 between the Irish and American ; also, that their 

 flax is water-rotted by which it will give about 

 twentyfive per cent more than when dew-rotted, 

 for which see report from the Secretary of the 

 Navy, transmitted to the Senate of the United 

 States, January 5th, 1825, and republished 1830. 

 In addition to this difference, flax does not waste 

 as much in cleaning, by the Irish process, as by 

 ours, as they merely free it from the woody part 

 of the stalk, leaving it to be made fine by what 

 they term dressing, which is the same as we call 

 hatcheling. Now by looking into the records of 

 our agricultural societies, we find that the produce 

 of flax offered for premiums, was considerably 

 above Mr Marshall's estimate for Ireland. In the 

 Ploughhoy, vol. 2d, page 188, we find that the 

 first premium was given on 772 lbs. per sere, and 

 at page 179, a premium awarded on 619 lbs. per 

 atre. Now, if we add to these crops fifty per 

 cent for the difference in measure and in rotti'ig and 

 cleaning, we have the produce of 1040 lbs. per 

 acre. Our own opinions are, that vie have seen 

 finer flax grown in America, than we ever saw in 

 Ireland ; but do not think our lam] and climate 

 ^ are generally as good as theirs. 



The second erroneous o|)inion is, that flax that 

 isViUowed to ripen seed, is not fit for fine cloth. 

 This tooint the Linen and Hempen Board of Ire- 

 land lave pnf at rest. 



Haiini' L>een convinced of the superiority of the 

 Dutchlfljiic over the Irish, in 1822 they sent Peter 

 Besnanl, Esq. Inspector General for Leinster, 

 Munstet and Connaught, into the Netherlands, in 

 order tqasertain the reasons for the superiority of 

 of the Dutch flax. In his report he says — 



' Whv so general an opinion as has prevailed in 



Ireland, for a series of years, that flax which 



gives seel is not adapted for her fine linens, should 



have takn place, I cannot conjecture.' Again, 



speaking of .-i establishment at Antwerp, he says, 



' I called at he manufactory and purchased a 



small quantity if the yarn, for the inspection of 



the Honorable L.-xrd, and which is sold at the rate 



»f £47,786 13s. 4', per ton. The yarn which I 



purchased, is not '' the finest kind, hut I have 



Ofsry reason to suppte, from the inquiries I made, 



tint it was spun froni flax that hail given seed.' 



Wthave had some yarifroin Valenciennes, which 



wasnuich finer than th. alluded to above, which 



was ^lade from flax whic ripened seed. 



As\o the generally rect ed opinion, that flax 

 cannot be spun by machery, it is ridiculous. 

 The machinery is not as comjcated, nor as costly, 

 as for spaining cotton. But w-rotled flax is not 

 worth Hiaaufacturing, when t, t which is water- 



rotted can he procured. As the season approaches 

 we propose to give the Dutch method of manag- 

 ing their flax, from the lime of pulling, until it is 

 prepared for the finest of lace ; and I would here ob- 

 serve, that a female might work one year on one or 

 two lbs. of flax to advantage. — Genesee Fanner. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



HORSES. 

 Mr Editor — About four weeks since, I rode 

 a young horse about seventy miles ; the travelling 

 was bad and it rained severely most of the time. 

 The horse was not over-driven. I stopped a Week. 

 In returning, after I had ridden about 40 miles, I 

 got off to walk up a hill, and when I was about 

 to remount I discovered a swelling on one side of 

 the horse's neck extending from the windpipe to 

 the mane, and from the shoulder almost to the ear. 

 The swelling was hard and the neck was increased 

 at least one third in size. The horse travelled as 

 well as before, and appeared free from pain — 

 breathed well, and when I put up ate well. — Since 

 that time the swelling of the neck has measurably 

 subsided, and a soft swelling has appeared upon 

 the side of the helly, of the size of a man's arm, 

 and has now extended to the hind legs. The an- 

 imal still eats well, his eyes are bright, and he is 

 evidently free from pain — ^hut what the matter is 

 with him, what occasioned the swelling, or how to 

 cure the animal I know not. I have kept him 

 warm, warmed his dnnk, physicked him, and bathed 

 the part affected in camphorated spirits, liut still 

 he is not cured. Will you or some of your corres- 

 pondents inform me through the New England Far- 

 mer, of the cause, nature and remedy of die animal's 

 disorder ? Yours, B. 



Vassalboro\ Me. Feb. 5, 1 8.3 1 . 



QJ^'We hope our Portsmouth corres[)ondent 

 will favor us with an answer to the above. — Ed. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



IMPORTANCE OF CORRECT NAMES. 



Mr Editor — It would contribute much to the 

 value of the New England Farmer abroad to have 

 the botanical names of the plants spoken of i\p- 

 pended to them — the local name answering 

 merely for a neighborhood. Your distant subscri- 

 bers lose much where no others are given. 



In the last number, under the article Salt grass or 

 Salt Hay, I should be pleased to be informed 

 what the Goose grass, there spoken of is — with 

 us the C Polygonum avicxdare) hears that name : 

 also the Fox grass ; — the English hay or English 

 grass; with \\s{Jlgropyron or Triticum repens] bears 

 that name ; the Polypod or mount royal, and in 

 the same No. Article Meadow Lands, the Blue 

 joint — the Flat grass. 



It would he very interesting to us at a distance 

 to know all your grasses by their local names. — I 

 would therefore suggest that some of your corres- 

 pondents should give us through the medimn of 

 the New England Farmer, the names of all the 

 grasses common to your district, both the com- 

 mon and the botanical. By so doing he will much 

 oblige an INQUIRER. 



Philadelphia, Feb. 4,1831. 



N. B. What is the botanical name of what you 

 call red top? 



Red top and White top, the Herd's grass of the 

 Southern States are varieties of ^g-ro«h"s stricla. — 

 Editor. 



We hope Mr Nuttall, or some others of our 



competent correspondents, will furnish an answe 

 to the inquiries of our friend in Philadelphia. 



TOP DRESSING GRASS GROUNDS, &c. 



By top dressing, much of the best properties o 

 the putrescent manures are exhaled or wasted ii 

 the way that has been described ; if to this he add 

 ed the too general loss sustained by decompositioi 

 before the manure is a[)plied, it will be founi! tha 

 but little good can be done by a great deal of ii 

 when used id this way. 



If dung be used for top dressing, it should b 

 applied soon after the first crop of grass has beei 

 mown, and before the manure has suffered any ma 

 terial loss by fermentation. The grasses slioul 

 he sufllered to grow until they fortn a dose shade 

 after this, they may be pastured, proviiled a goo 

 covering of them be presei-ved. This will pre 

 vent much exhalation ; it will also keep tha so 

 much more open to receive the juices of the mt 

 nure. As water does not |)ass off so freely throng 

 a close pile of grass, much of the coarser particle 

 of the washings from the manure will be arreste 

 in their progress through it, and much more ( 

 the juices from the dung will sink into the soi 

 The close covering also greatly favors the decon 

 position of the litter, and by keeiiing it flexibK 

 (pauses it to sink further into the sod, and 11 

 much closer to it ; therefore but little if any of 

 will be found in the way of mowing the ensuin 

 crop of grass, or of making it into hay, provide, 

 the manure he very eveidy ^pread over the grouni 

 But as the v/ant of the second crop for hay and othi 

 circumstances, may readily prevent the cultivati !l 

 from hauling the dung at the proper time, he ma " 

 haul and S|)read it any time before frost sets ii • 

 but not with the same advantage. Still, if cai ' 

 be taken in raking up the hay of the ensuing cro] " 

 but little of the litter will appear among it. 



Top dressing, however, with putrescent ni 

 nures, is, under the most favorable circumstance " 

 a very wastcl'ul practice, and should be avoidi J 

 where population is sufficient to adnut the pra " 

 tice of convertible husbandry ; except by tlio; | 

 who prefer the ease obtained by grazing excl | 

 sively, to a more active and much more profitab f 

 mode of management. 



When ashes, gypsum, lime, &c, are applied • f 

 the grass groumls, it must be by top dressinj S 

 But either of these substances is more extensive " 

 useful to cultivated crops, when they are proper! ' 

 incorporated with the soil. f 



It is difficult to calculate the losses arising froi 1 

 the prevailing practices of gathering, preparin; '^ 

 and using the manure that might be obtained froi ' 

 the general resources of a farm. Some manag * 

 better, and others worse. Neither weight nc ' 

 measure to ascertain these losses, can be referre ' 

 to. We may, however, form a tolerable cstiraal J* 

 of their amount, by summing up the suppose J 

 losses arising from each improper practice, and, t ' 

 it may be done, .averaging the losses. This miii ■ 

 centre between the best and worst |iractices i } 

 general use. I have done this, and l)elievetli' 

 loss cannot be less than seven eights of the wholi 

 which might he very readily saved by gooil mat ' 

 agement and a proper cultivation. — Lorain's Hm 

 bandry. J 



HORTICULTURAL CURIOSITY. i 



We had the pleasure, a few. days since, of k||| 



ceiving a fine ri|)c Orange, from the garden of Diji 



Kirtland, accomparuej with the following note: jt 



Messrs Hapgood and Pease — AccompsDJn 



