AND RURAL ECONOMIST. 105 



stantly imported, and the difference of price between our 

 own seed and tliat imported will not much exceed what is 

 now paid for good clean seed for sowing or export, and that 

 which is sold for crushing; but if it is f.fty cents per bdshel, 

 or more, it can be no object, compared with the advantages 

 that may be reasonably expected to result ; and the far^ner 

 need not be told, that " in all his operations parsimony is 

 never so ill judged as when it is exercised 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 w^ithout importation ; 

 yet it may be important to have a good stock to begin with, 

 when trials could be instituted with its produce. At any 

 rate, it cannot be expected that individuals will embark in 

 such a course of experiments, either with foreign or domes- 

 tic seed, unless encouraged by agricultural societies, or other 

 public bodies.' 



In speaking of the soils most suitable for flax, Mr. Pome- 

 roy observes, ' The soils which rank first in this country are 

 the flat 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 reclaimed marshes and swamps, with 

 a black unctuous soil, not too peaty, with as much clay in. 

 the composition as will permit its being rendered 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 suitable 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 characteristic of best garden mould 

 may be applied to a flax soil, viz., retaining sufllcient mois- 

 ture, 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 objection is, that dung forces the growth so rapidly, 



