168 [Ap-eublt 



FLAX. 



In the early period of the agriculture of our country, flax was a 

 crop comparatively of great value j there was then scarcely a fanner 

 who had not his field of it. The hum of the spinning wheel, was the 

 music of the cottage, and the distaff was familiarly known as an in- 

 dispensable household utensil. The females, who could spin their 

 "pound a day," looked to that as their chief source of employment 

 and income. Such were among the early days of our agriculture. 

 But the ever varying changes in the scene of human life, hare almost 

 obliterated a remembrance of such pursuits and productions. The 

 spinning wheel has gone to the tomb of the Capulets, and the distaff 

 is known no more. Progress aims at a higher destiny ; we hope it 

 may produce a happier condition. 



Machinery has taken the place of hand labor to an almost incredi- 

 ble extent in producing the requisites for our supply, and yet there 

 is no diminution of the demand for labor. The ingenuity of our 

 Whitney made the cotton crop nearly sufficient to clothe mankind, 

 whilst Arkwright's genius accomplished the means and varied forms 

 required, from the coarse fabrics to the finest tissues, superceding, to 

 a large extent, the "fine linen," so much esteemed and anxiously 

 sought after in the early period of the history of man. Linen still 

 holds a deservedly high rank in the general estimation, and ingenuity 

 should not suffer it to pass unheeded. 



It is about 50 years since the first attempts were made to spin flax 

 entirely by machinery ; little or no success then attended the enter- 

 prise. At a later period the attempt was revived, and by cutting the 

 fiax into short pieces, the proceps was considered to have been im- 

 proved. But it v.-as soon found that by cutting the fibre the quality 

 of the flax was materially impaired, and the plan was abandoned. 

 More recently, machine spinning has attained a degree of perfection, 

 without injury to the fibre, said to approach nearly to that of cotton. 

 There is nevertheless room for improvement, presenting a field worthy 

 the attention of enterprise and skill. * 



