FLAX. 



as growing to great heights, or its high estimation as a 

 timber-making family, it is most deservedly the emblem of 

 Elevation. 



FLAX {Linum usitatissimum). — I AM SENSIBLE OF YOUR 



Kindness. 



" How sweetly blooms 

 Upon the slopes the azure-blossomed Flax." — 



Carrington. 



Usitatissimum ! Most useful indeed is the Flax, which, 

 Carrington tells us, blooms upon the slopes of the wilds of 

 Dartmoor. It has been cultivated from the earliest ages on 

 account of its valuable fibres, the raw material used in the 

 manufacture of linen and other useful articles. Of it the 

 rich lace which is so ornamental to the fair sex, is made. 

 When the goods manufactured from it are worn out by use, 

 the rags are converted into the best writing and drawing 

 papers. 



Not only is the fibre of the Flax exceedingly useful, but 

 also the seed, which is used as food in its whole state. It 

 is made into linseed cake, invaluable for feeding cattle, and 

 in its manufacture a rich oil is expressed, highly prized by 

 the artist, the ordinary painter, and the veterinary surgeon. 

 It also supplies rape oil and the colza oil, which yield an 

 artificial light so mild and agreeable in our sitting-rooms. 

 We are, in fact, so deeply indebted to this plant that we 

 must allow it to be a very appropriate emblem of the 

 sentiment, " I am sensible of your Kindness." 



89 



