12 



DICKSON ON 



shall here introduce an occurence that may be deserving of 

 the serious consideration of unskilled Flax growers. I re- 

 collect being honoured with a visit at my counting-house 29, 

 Broad Street Buildings, London, in February, 1*845, from Sir 

 Edward Baker and several other gentleman, in all 6 or 7 

 from Nolfolk, who had early been induced by a Farmer, 

 Mr. Warrens, (who had grown a little Flax in 1843) to grow 

 some Flax in 1844, on various sorts of soil, and each of them 

 had their samples with them for my inspection, their 

 instructor (Mr. Warrens) being in total ignorance of the value 

 for differance in the quality of the article they had produced,— 

 as he admitted the fact before the gentlemen alluded to, and 

 that he had advised the sale of it to Net makers at 5s. to 6s. 

 per stone. I found on careful examination that it was worth 

 much more, as some was good value for 7s., some 8s., some 9s., 

 and one lot well worth 10s, per stone, as it had every quality 

 of the Courtray Flax, and also the rich gold colour by which 

 Courtray is known. On questioning the gentleman that grew 

 it, I found he had grown it on part of a field in which he had 

 sown Oats, but seeing that the Oats had missed, he ploughed 

 up a part and sowed it with the Flax seed, from which this 

 fine specimen was produced. Although the other part of the 

 field in which he allowed the Oat crop to remain was so 

 worthless, that he turned his sheep to graze on it through the 

 summer, and yet he had so luxuriant a crop of Flax, that the 

 Norfolk Fanners that saw it felt astonished. Now the cause of 

 this should not be lost sight, of, as it is an evidence of the fact, 

 that Flax does not rob the soil of those materials that are 

 requisite for nourishing Wheat, Barley, or Oat wops— as it 

 appears to have grown luxuriantly where Oats could not be 

 ■produced. Again, it proves the necessity of deep treadling 

 and subsoil ploughing in preparing land for the cultivation of 

 Flax, and next to that, the necessity for a proper system being 

 followed, as to the course of rotation in cropping. The land 



