180 EXPERIMENTS IN BENGAL AND BEHAR. 
cleansing, and preparative manipulation which has been given to the Baltic 
rough Flax, bemg more ligneous, &c., is not exhibited with all the com- 
parative advantage it otherwise would have shown. : . 
The Monghyr undressed specimen seems to possess more fow In proportion 
than the rough Baltic one. Its length of fibre seems somewhat inferior to 
that of the Baltic one. Its strength of fibre seems good. But after all it 
seems so promising a production that I think the parties engaged in the 
experiment would do best to send home a good supply of it to the various 
markets of London, Liverpool, and Scotland, that they may derive the opinion 
of merchants, brokers, and manufacturers as their most true and unerring 
uide. ; 
R Mr. Wallace again submitted, in August, 1841, two samples of Monghyr- 
grown Flax, to show the improvement on last year’s produce. He stated 
that they were average samples of thirty-four bales (nearly four tons) 
which had just been shipped by the Wary Bannatyne, for London. 
No. 1.—Grown from country seed on a strong black soil, which had been 
inundated by the river, and retained its moisture through the season. The 
seed was sown on or about 10th November, 1840. Twenty seers of clean 
seed to a begah (the begah is rather larger than that of Bengal); the plant 
was allowed to ripen fully, and the seed come to full maturity. This was 
all saved by rippling combs, which separate it easily from the stalk. The 
soil received very little preparation ; it was drilled with one plough, another 
plough following in the same track in which the seed was sown. The plant 
was pulled about the 20th March, and steeped for three days. The breaking 
or crushing of the plant was done by machinery ; the scutching by hand. 
A man could clean of this quality of plant five seers a day. The outturn 
per begah was 9 stone, such as the muster, and 33 maunds of seed. 
No. 2.—Grown from country seed on a light sandy soil, also inundated 
by the river; was sown about 8th October, with the same sort of seed; the 
land was well prepared, having had three or four ploughings; the seed was 
sown broadcast 25 seers per begah; it was allowed to ripen fully; it was 
pulled 28th February, and steeped 43 days. The outturn of this was about 
14 stone per begah, and one maund of seed—no rain having fallen from the 
time of sowing, seven eighths of the crop was lost; the dressing of this was 
similar to the other. A man could not scutch more than 2} to 3 seers per 
day. 
Mr. Wallace, in his reply to the queries of the Society, states that the 
begah at Monghyr contains 3600 square yards—three fourths of an acre, 
and that the inundated land is to be preferred. Alluvial land will yield a 
crop if not too sandy, but that the higher land is preferable if rain fall two 
months after sowing ; that dry soil produces a good plant, but of very coarse 
quality. He sows at the latter end of September for seed only, but from 
15th October and all November for fibre, to the extent of 60 Ib. to the 
begah if sown broadcast, and 40 lb. if sown in drills. 
The American and Europe seed, he states, produce double the quantity of 
fibre, half the quantity of tow, and of a finer quality, but only half as much 
seed as the native. Of this the price in the district was from R.1 4 to 
R.1 8. That he reaps from the 25th of February to the 10th of May. That 
the average crop is about 9 stone, or 126 lb. per begah; and that sixteen of 
these are required to produce a ton of Fax; with of tow, first quality 36 lb., 
and second quality 141b. per begah ; while there is an average crop of 3} 
maunds of seed. The time of steeping varies from two to three days in the 
hot months, to four and five days in February, October, and November, and 
to seven and eight days, in the cold months of December and January; and 
that one day more is to be added for dry plants of the preceding season ; and 
that the cost of Flax laid down in Calcutta, per ton of 20 ewt., is from £12 
to £15, all expenses included. 
