No. 149] 451 



operator. The seed must be taken off in Schenck's process, and 

 he will do it and do it well, if required. The committee think 

 no other system as yet can be adopted in practice, although they 

 hope and believe some cheaper and more efficient one will in 

 time be discovered. 



Gen. Chandler. — I deem it a fortunate occurrence that the 

 club has at this time, entered upon the consideration of the 

 culture and manufacture of flax, because I am confident the three 

 days already devoted to it, will enable us to compile and place 

 before the public much valuable, new, and interesting matter 

 relative thereto, which in all probability will add something by 

 way of stimulating the general investigation of a subject of so 

 much importance. 



I well remember that in 1808 I had the good fortune to possess 

 some shirts made of homespun linen, which for comfortable wear, 

 snowy whiteness, and durability, surpassed anything in that de- 

 partment of apparel that has fallen to my lot since. I think I 

 may say, without exaggeration, that one of them would outwear 

 three of the present day. Shirtings made of American cotton 

 were not at that period much known, and the general substitute 

 for linen was India muslin, or hum-hums — a weak, fragile, and 

 miserable fabric. 



The inventions of Arkwright for spinning demanded an in- 

 creased supply of cotton, which in all probability would never 

 have been furnished but for the invention of the cotton gin by 

 our own Whitney. Tlius furnished, cotton rapidly gained in 

 public estimation, and the continued diminution in its price 

 caused it to occupy extensively the places and supply the wants 

 for which we had before looked to the blooming field of flax, the 

 spinning wheel and the distaff. All this was not accomplished 

 without the necessity of surmounting obstacles greater, apparent- 

 ly, than any which now lie in the way of reinstating linen. I 

 believe there are no difficulties which may not be overcome by 

 perseverance and the ingenuity of our countrymen properly sti- 

 mulated. I was much gratitied the other day by the response to a 

 question which I put to one whom I consider as standing pre- 

 eminent among the ingenious men of the present day. I asked 



