Vol. 1 No. 33. 



AND GARDINER'S JOURNAL. 



261 



with the mud, when spread over the flax, be- 

 ing decomposed in the fermentive process 

 that takes place, mingle with the mu. ilage 

 of the plant, and act as agents to neutralize 

 it injurious qualities ; how far this may be 

 the case, or whether the plant, being ripe be- 

 fore watering, and totally excluded from 

 light and air in this process, may produce 

 effects different from those in Ireland, I 

 shall not pretend to say ; but the fact is as I 

 have described it. 



That the mode practiced in Holland, Zea- 

 land, Flanders and France, of excluding 

 light and air in the steeping of flax, has a 

 powerful effect on the color of the plant, 

 cannot be doubted ; and that the properties 

 of the water and mud employed have consid- 

 erable influence in that point, as well as the 

 texture of it, is equally certain, and is fully 

 exemplified in eacii of those countries, as will 

 be seen by the follo«'i,i!» statement : 



In that part of Holland where flax, the 

 growth of that country and of Zealand, is 

 steeped, and where the soil is dark and of a 

 slimy nature, the water soft and clear, and 

 perfectly suited for culinary and oilier do- 

 mestic uses, it is found thm it comes from the 

 steeping pool of a dark blay color, varying 

 only in shades, according to the quality of 

 the soil or mud with which it is covered; 

 but every parcel is uniformly of one color 

 from each pool ; it is likewise of a soft and 

 silky nature. 



In Zealand when flax is steeped as in Hol- 

 land, with respect to the exclusion of the air 

 and light, it is always of an uniform color, 

 but from the quality of the water and soil, 

 comes from the pool of a light straw color, 

 and is harder in its nature than that steeped 

 in Holland ; this is attributed to the brack- 

 ishness of the water and soil, which purges 

 the plant in the steeping pools, and deprives 

 it of its extractive matter, so much so, that 

 it is calculated to lose in steeping in Zeal- 

 and, from twenty to twenty-five per cent, 

 more than when steeped in Holland ; for 

 this reason the Dutch fltx Boers bring the 

 flax that they grow in Zealand from the field, 

 dried with the boles on it, to be steeped, Sic. 

 at home, often fifty and sixty miles distant. 

 When flax in Zealand'is not steeped with the 

 same care as in Holland, bv excluding it 

 from the air and light with mud and slime, 

 it comes from the pool precisely as it does in 

 many parts of the south and west of Ireland, of 

 various colors and gi/a/tfies.even in one strick 

 or bunch, in consequence of which it sells at 

 all times in the Rotterdam market at an un- 

 der price, for inferior work. This is a strong 

 proof of the effects produced by the exclu- 

 sion of light and air in the steeping process. 

 In Flanders where the soil is lighter in 

 quality and color, and the water clearer and 

 fresher than in Holland, the flax is some 

 shades brighter than that steeped in Holland, 

 but not of the straw color or harsh descrip- 

 tion of that steeped in Zealand; it is, how- 

 ever, uniformly of one shade from every 

 sleeping pool, doubtless in consequence of 

 rhe exclusion of light and air. 



In France, where the soil is lighter than 

 inFlanders, the flax is of a lighter'color than 

 in that country or Holland, "and is between 

 a straw and a blay color, neither so hail as 

 the Zealand flax, nor so soft as that steeped 

 in Holland ; it is, however, like all the oth 

 ers, when excluded from the light and air. 

 of one color from every pool ; nor did I see 

 in the course of my examination of flax in 



the several countries* 1 visited, any of that 

 article striped in color, or of different qual- 

 ities in one head or trick, but that grown in 

 a part of Zealand, where the cultivation may 

 be said to be in its infancy, as compared to 

 other places. 



On the whole, it appears to me, from ev- 

 ery information I have received, and from 

 the best consideration I have given the sub- 

 ject, according to my humble judgment, that 

 the exclusion of light and air from the flax 

 in the steeping process, as practiced in the 

 Netherlandsand France, forms ihe most im- 

 portant points in the treatment of that plant ; 

 and 1 am of opinion, that a due attention to 

 the mode practiced in these countries, would 

 eventually lead to the cultivation of flax in 

 Ireland, on a scale that would be of the great- 

 est importance to the landlords, tenantry, 

 and peasantry of the country. 



With respect to the regulations in those 

 countries for dividing the flax into two dif- 

 ferent sorts or numbers, according to its fine- 

 ness or coarseness, there is no law or pub- 

 lic examination, as in Petersburg!] and Ri-l 

 ga, nor does there seem to be the smallest 

 necessity for such a measure; the flax growers 

 themselves, being sensible of the advanta- 

 ges derived from a regular sysiem, careful- 

 ly assort each quality before they offer it for 

 sale, and set a price on it accordingly ; on 

 this point the merchants are equally partic- 

 ular, as they separate with great care every 

 quality they purchase. In making up for 

 a foreign market there is no rule as to the 

 size of the bundle or pack; the merchant 

 being governed by the orders of his corres- 

 pondents, who, for the most part, differ in 

 the size of them ; som- directing them to be 

 made up in bales of one cwt. while others 

 order them in bales of four and six cwt. 



Average quantity of flax and linseed sold 

 in Ho'Iand from the best information I 

 could obtain, may be about 12,000 tons an- 

 nually, and 10,000 hogshead of seed. 



Mr 



of 



Extract of a letter from 



France, to Pets r, Besnard, Esq. da- 

 ted London, August 23d, 18£2. 

 "De ir Sir, — In answer to your question 

 respecting the causes of the different appear- 

 ances of Irish and Dutch flax, I have ennea- 

 vored to give you, as follows the best solu- 

 tion in my power. 



" The Irish mode of steeping flax, com- 

 pared with that of Holland, is defective in 

 principle, and injurious in the result, to those 

 qualities essential to constitute a good arti- 

 cle. 



" When flax is steeped in a green state, 

 whilst the plant has not yet attained maturi- 

 ty, it is plain, that all the fibre of which it 

 was susceptible is not formed, and its con- 

 stituent principles being but imperfectly 

 combined are the easier separated ; this oc- 

 casions substantial loss; the carbon, which 

 should go to form the fibre, is, by the pro- 

 cess of fermentation, sent off in the shape of 

 carbonic acid gas, which, rising to the sur- 

 face of the water, escapes, and forms that 

 deleterious atmosphere, so fatal to animal 

 existence ; again, the flax being partially 

 exposed to the influence of the light be- 

 comes variegated, and the decomposition is 

 so rapid and tumultuous, that not only much 

 of the tender part is destroyed, but the vola- 

 tile products fly off, and meeting no resist- 

 ance mix with the air, forming a mixture of 



* Id speaking of the qualities of the Boil in Holland, 

 Flanders, and France, I ullude io those places only 

 where I have seen flax cultivated. 



sulphurated and ammoniated hydrogen, 

 which is hut too evident to the olfactory 

 senses of those who come within the sphere of 

 the nauceous and noxious effluvia The de- 

 fence setup in favor of this mode, namely, 

 that the younger the plant the finer the tis- 

 sue, even if true. I doubt would not compen- 

 sate for the actual waste occasioned. 



" In Holland the (!ax is not put to steep 

 until at perfect maturity, ami even then it is 

 covered over in the steep with a thick layer 

 of earth or mud, which, while it defends the 

 flax from the action of the light, furnishes 

 certain affinities, which do not fail to take, 

 up, and form with the substance thrown off 

 by the fermentation, insoluble compounds, 

 such as eaithy carbonates, sulphates. Stc. 

 and thus it is. that the tissue suffers less, and 

 maintains its uniform quality and color. 



We have now given our readers the best direc 

 tions concerning the management of flax within 

 our power; and although we have done it in oth- 

 er language than our own, nevertheless, we are 

 convinced of its correctness. The gendeman 

 | Mr. Besnard, whose language we have quoted, 

 has long been engaged in the flax business, and 

 | was selected for the tour upon the continent for 

 his superior qualifications. The linen and hempen 

 board of Ireland is composed of men of first rate 

 talents, both natural and acquired, and who in 

 ', discharge of the duties entrusted to them, seem 

 resolved to collect all the information possible up- 

 on the subjects of raising or manufacturing flax, 

 i as being intimately connected with their national 

 prosperity. And let me ask why is not our na- 

 j tional prosperity as dear to us as theirs is to them ? 

 I It is for our national legislature to reply. When 

 there is the same ^encouragement held out to the 

 : citizens of the United States, by our government, 

 that there is to the linen and hempen board of 

 Ireland by the English government, it will be 

 seen that the Yankees are not slow to learn. But 

 we have been treating the subject in a different 

 light; we have given it with a view to benefit in- 

 dividuals, who have to work their way in this 

 country without the aid of legislation ; and we 

 sincerely hope that our readers will make such 

 experiments as will satisfy them of the correct- 

 ness of our observations. We therefore dismiss 

 the subject for the present, but shall as time serves 

 give a description of their manner of preparing 

 the flax upon the hatchel, &c, with some account 

 of their process of bleaching, in which we will en- 

 deavor to show the advantage which this country 

 has over England in that part of the manufacture 

 of linen goods ; and that the introduction of lin- 

 en manufactories into this country would be of 

 the greatest national advantage by encouraging 

 home industry and particularly giving employ- 

 ment to the female part of community, a want of 

 which, at this time in our large towns is attended 

 with immoral consequences. 



Pouch in the Lion's Tongue. — In dir- 

 ecting a Lion, sent to the Edinburgh 

 College Museum, Messrs. Cheek and 

 Jones have discovered on the under sur- 

 face of the tongue, near the tip, a struc- 

 ture, which may be considered as a ru- 

 diment of the worm in the dog. It is 

 marked by three longitudinal dilations, 

 separated by contractions ; and in the 

 specimen dissected, was three-fourths of 

 an inch long. 



