No. 149.] 427 



" This," he says, '^is the most to be regretted, as there can be 

 but little doubt that immense quantities might be raised in Bri- 

 tain with little labor, and that, too, upon soils where hardly any- 

 thing else will grow. The accomplishment of an object so truly 

 desirable as that of the extended cultivation of Flax, would be 

 attended with the most salutary effects, by affording employment 

 for an increased population, and materially lessening ow depend- 

 ance upon foreign countries. 



Oil-Cake. — Upwards of 70,000 tons of oil- cake are annually 

 imported, the value of which exceeds X500,000, the whole of 

 which might be produced by our agriculturists with the most per- 

 fect ease, and with profit and advantage to themselves. In con- 

 nection with our supply of foreign oil-cake, it is worthy of re- 

 mark, that by far the larger proportions are sent from those coun- 

 tries which are the largest exporters of cattle to this country. By 

 the almost total neglect of the cultivation of flax, our farmers are 

 thus placed in the anomalous position of dependence upon those 

 countries for the supply of food for their cattle, which compete 

 with them in our markets, and in several instances, we are ac- 

 tually compelled, in addition to the price set upon the cake, to 

 pay a considerable duty imposed by the government of the ex- 

 porting countries. 



Flax-seed for Crushing. — From Russia we import annually 

 half a million of quarters of flax-seed, the value of which is up- 

 wards of a million sterling. Our total imports of flax-seed for 

 sowing and crushing, from all countries in round numbers, are 

 about 650,000 quarters, the value of which at the low price of 

 7s. per bushel, is .£1,820,000. There is no reason wiiatever, 

 why this large sum might not be annually saved to the pockets 

 of our agriculturists, nor why the makers of linseed oil should 

 not be supplied exclusively with home-grown seed for the pur- 

 pose of their manufacture. The cultivation of flax at home, if 

 only f 07- seed, would render our oil-pressers independent for their 

 supply upon foreign countries, and would give to our agricultu- 

 rists a return of upwards of JE2,000,000 annually. It would also 

 give them an article more valuable for cattle-food than the oil- 

 cake purchased from foreign countries, and which consists of the 



