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MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



the quality of the manure by the manner in 

 which it was made ; and, as far as he under- 

 stood it, he thought manure was rendered 

 more valuable to them than by the ordinary 

 system. He had j)i'epared a recipe to restore 

 to the soil the ingredients which were taken 

 from it. It was as follows : Manure for Flax. 

 — Bone dust, or bones dissolved in sulphuric 

 acid, 25 lbs. ; gypsum, 10 lbs. ; peai'lash, 20 

 lbs. ; soda ash, dry, 20 lbs. ; slaked magnesia 

 lime, 25 lbs. ; or for the last may be substi- 

 tuted ciTide sul2:ihate of magnesia, 20 lbs. ; 

 and quickhme mixed with it, 5 lbs. 150 lbs. 

 of this represent 150 lbs. of the ash of the 

 plant, or 200 lbs. of the dry plant, say a ton 

 of dry flax. An average crop is 800 lbs. 50 

 stones dressed flax, or 6,400 lbs. (three tons 

 nearly) flax plant, containing 320 lbs. of min- 

 eral matter. 4 cwts. to 6 cwts. of the above 

 must be added to the land to supply the loss ; 

 or 3 cwts. and a good half manuring. The 

 Flax Society of Ireland stated that experience 

 showed that a flax crop was best after wheat, 

 but the practice varied according to the dis- 

 ti'ict, and somethmg must be lelt to the dis- 



cretion and more to the judgment of the agri- 

 culturist. Flax of good C[ualit}' should be 

 pulled Ijefore it was dead ripe. Very great 

 care was indeed required generally in the 

 management of flax. The times oi' steeping 

 and pulling and gi-assing must be carefully 

 attended to, as, if left a day too long under 

 these operations, the quality of the fibre would 

 be affected. It should be cultivated by per- 

 sons who can look after it themselves, for if left 

 to a second person, there might be a consid- 

 erable loss of profit. The seed should always 

 be saved ; and lastly, there should be but one 

 crop in seven years. He did not say that 

 Chemistiy would not enable them, in time, to 

 have a frequenter crop of flax, but they must 

 depend more upon the mechanical condition 

 of the soil. If ihey used implements as the 

 means of improving the mechanical condition 

 of the soil, and Chemistry for its chemical 

 improvement, he believed the time will come 

 when tliey would gi'ow any crop they pleased 

 on any soil they liked, with profit to the 

 farmer. 



LINSEED AND OIL-CAKE, AS FOOD FOR STOCK. 



DIFFERENCE IN VALUE BETWEEN FOOD CRUSHED AND UNCRUSHED. 



Some notion of the earnestness and progress of agricultural investigations, as 

 they are going on now in England, may be obtained from the following observa- 

 tions by H. S. Thompson, Esq. at a public meeting in England, where the sub' 

 jects of lecture and discussion were — the Culture of Flax, and the Value of Lin- 

 seed and Oil-Cake. 



It is scarcely necessary now to inform the reading farmer that the great in- 

 ducement there to the use of Linseed and Oil-Cake — the latter of which is con- 

 sumed in great quantities as food for stock — is the richness that they impart to 

 manure. But for that consideration it is doubtful whether they would be used 

 in that way ; just as our Yankee farmers would forbear to rear and feed their 

 own hogs, but as manufacturers of manure. 



There are few things about which there is in this country less general infor- 

 mation than on the subject of the extent and value of Oil-Cake or Flax-seed as 

 food for domestic animals !— to what extent used — where purchased — at what 

 price — with what effect — and might not both be used in that way much more 

 extensively and with economy ? We will give a year's publication of The Farm- 

 ers' Library and Monthly Journal of Agriculture, making two volumes of 

 600 pages each, as a premium for the best Essay which may be supplied on the 

 subject at any time between this and the first day of January next — with exact 

 references to places, prices, quantity to be used, and cost as compared with corn 

 meal, &c. 



H. S. Thompson, Esq. said the question 

 ha(i been so I'lilly and so ably discussed by 

 Professor Johnston, and he had touched on so 

 many points bearing upon the subject, that 

 he should endeavor to be as brief as possible 

 (452) 



in the few remarks which he wished to make. 

 There were a few points connected with the 

 use of the seed when grown in this countiy. 

 The first point on which I shall make any re- 

 mark is, the comparative advantages of using 



