§2 The Cultivation of Flax in Tasmania. 
Steeping is a most important operation. We have steeped 
in running water (the river), in a large pond of clear stag- 
nant water, in a small pond of muddy stagnant water—closely 
packing it with Flax, and in ponds of moderate size with clean 
stagnant water—moderately filling them with sheaves; and 
each method has had a different effect on the quality and yield 
of Flax. Whatever the nature of the pond where the Flax was 
put in, stones, or more generally sods, were applied to keep 
the Flax a few inches below the surface of the water. The 
following plan has been found to succeed in giving a good 
colour and yield, and lessens the labour required in the pro- 
cess formerly used here and practised in Ireland. In a piece 
of hollow land, having a clayey subsoil, along pond or canal, 
four feet deep and about twelve wide, has been dug and 
divided into four compartments by partitions having sluice- 
gates, and each pond has upright posts fixed along its 
sides about seven feet apart. 
When Flax sufficient to fill one pond is ready it is brought, 
and the sheaves or bundles are laid in slopingly and regu- 
larly, with the seed end downwards. When full, a number 
of poles, corresponding in length to the distance the posts 
are asunder, are laid pretty thick all over the pond. On 
the top of these other poles are laid close to the posts, and 
at each end of the poles a wooden peg is put into a hole in 
the post to keep the Flax at any desired point under the sur- 
face of the water—generally two or three inches; care being 
taken that the flax does not touch the bottom. By this 
means the rolling of heavy pieces of timber, carting stones, or 
cutting of sods to keep the Flax under water, is avoided; and 
the poles, &c., remain for the operations of successive years. 
A few hours after the Flax is placed in the pond the water 
becomes red ; in twenty-four hours quite black ; and fermen- 
tation, which ensues, and is denoted by the surface being 
