1861. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



163 



For the New England Farmer. 

 THE CULTIVATION OF FLAX. 



Mr. Editor : — In these days of political tur- 

 moil, it M'ould certainly be wise policy to be as 

 independent as possible, by introducing and pro- 

 moting the cultivation of flax as a substitute for 

 cotton ; which, in a few years, would reduce the 

 consumption of that article, in these Northern 

 States, two-thirds, at least ; and ultimately lead to 

 its final exclusion from our manufactures. 



Having resided forty years in some of the prin- 

 cipal flax producing countries of Europe, I con- 

 sider myself pretty well posted up in all the de- 

 tails of its cultivation, and subsequent treatment; 

 and I am convinced that flax of the very best 

 quality can be produced in New England, and in 

 a large majority of cases would be a remunerating 

 crop to the farmer, could he be sure of ready 

 markets for it, even at the low price of ten cents 

 per lb. 



Judging from my own experience in New Eng- 

 land, though on a small scale, as well as that of 

 my neighbors, I arrive at the conclusion, that 

 considerable more flax, and of superior quality, 

 can be produced per acre, on the generality of New 

 England soil, than in any parts of Europe where 

 [ have seen it cultivated, and at comparatively 

 less expense. 



Now, if its production, in many parts of Europe, 

 be a profitable, or even a fair remunerating bus- 

 iness to the farmer, where he has to pay from 

 twenty-five to fifty dollars per acre of yearly rent 

 for his land, why should it not be more so in the 

 United States, where land more suitable for its 

 production can be had at from five to ten dollars 

 per acre, and even less in many places of the 

 country ; and seeing that machinery has been in- 

 vented for converting the flax into cotton, I am 

 confident, that we farmers of the Northern States 

 can produce an ample supply of the raw material 

 to keep all our mills running throughout the year. 

 Both flax and hemp we are able to produce in 

 any quantities, and wait only for the demand to 

 commence operations to supply all domestic, 

 and even foreign markets to some extent. 



As I intend, next season, as a beginning, to 

 appropriate several acres to the growth of flax, 

 any information regarding the market value of 

 that article, (and from whence we derive our sup- 

 ply, for the present demand,) from the Editor or 

 some of his numerous correspondents — through 

 the pages of the Farmer — would confer a favor on 

 a constant reader of that valuable paper, who 

 would be willing to reciprocate the favor by fu- 

 ture communications on this interesting and all 

 important subject. T. c. 



Beverly Farms, February, 1861. 



A Sheep Farm in Illinois. — From an ac- 

 count published in the Prairie Farmer, of the 

 farm of a Mr. Daniel Kelly, in Wheaton, some 

 twenty-five miles from Chicago, we take the fol- 

 lowing extracts, as showing an instance of profita- 

 ble farming. 



Mr. Kelly removed here from Vermont, where 

 he "tended his father's flocks." He is an old 

 shepherd, therefore. His father's original flock 

 of ewes were imported some time between 1821 



and 1826, by Crowningshield, of Long Island. 

 This original flock of 40 ewes were Negrettes — 

 belonging to one of the classes of migratory 

 Spanish sheep. Since coming into the possession 

 of the Kellys, they have been bred on Jarvis & 

 Humphrey's importations of Paular stock, exten- 

 sively. 



The present flock of Mr. Kelly, on the home 

 farm, is 460 head — about the same number he 

 wintered last winter. He has sold from his flock 

 during the past season over $7000 -worth of sheep 

 and wool. And he regards his flock worth more 

 money to-day than it was a year ago — he having 

 saved the best all the time. 



TKAlSrSACTIOUS, 1859. 

 The public appreciation of the value of the la- 

 bors of the Agricultural Society of New York 

 could scarcely be manifested in any way more dis- 

 tinctly, nor could praise be given in any manner 

 less oflensive to real modesty, than is done by 

 the fact that, throughout the United States, the 

 common word Transactions is, by common con- 

 sent, employed by agricultural Avriters to mean 

 one or more of the nineteen volumes M'hich have 

 been published as the "Transactions of the New 

 York State Agricultural Society." The volume 

 for 1859 was received by us a few weeks since, 

 from the Secretary of the society, B. P. Johnson, 

 Esq. Its eight hundred pages give some of the 

 results of the vigorous activity of an association 

 whose Treasurer's account for the year is balanced 

 by the generous footings of $24,410 2G, and of 

 whose official members the Executive Committee 

 could truthfully report : — 



"All the officers of the Society, with one excep- 

 tion, were present during the fair, and were fully 

 employed, from its commencement to its close, in 

 the discharge of their duties, and evidenced the 

 great interest which is being taken in the dis- 

 charge of the duties devolved upon them by the 

 Society." 



We congratulate the working portion of "the 

 ofl[icers" of agricultural associations throughout 

 the wide world, upon this record by the Execu- 

 tive Committee of the New York Society. It 

 should be reduced to an "item," which, as it 

 "goes the rounds" will cheer the diligent and re- 

 buke the negligent among agricultural officers 

 everywhere. Perhaps we may add that one of the 

 Vice Presidents of this Society is located in each 

 of the eight judicial districts, and that the other 

 officers represent the various sections of a State, 

 of whose extent we have received our impressions 

 from journeying steadily night and day for over 

 a week between Albany andBuff;\lo, and for many 

 hours, though hurried on by steam, between New 

 York City and Rouse's Point. 



We should naturally expect that the annual 

 publications of the Agricultural Society of such a 

 State, with such funds and such members, would 



