IN THE PRESENCE OF FLAX MERCHANTS. 213 



informed that some unfair and injurious statements have been 

 made by ill-informed parties respecting the character of a 

 plan which they have never seen in operation, and of which, 

 therefore, they were not competent to judge." — Belts Weekly 

 Messenger. 



CALCULATIONS FROM THE PRACTICAL WORKING 

 OF DICKSON'S PATENT MACHINES AND LIQUID 



FOR PREPARING AND PRESERVING FLAX, HEMP, AND 

 OTHER FIBRES. 



In the presence of the agents of the Italian Company, who 

 have since purchased Dickson's patents for Italy, 14lbs. of 

 green unretted Flax-straw produced 4lbs. of long clean fibre, 

 and lib. of tow — total, 5 lbs. of fibre. \ 



As 14lbs. will produce 4lbs. of Flax and lib. of tow, lcwt. 

 will produce 32lbs. of Flax and 8lbs. of tow, and 20cwt., or 

 one ton, will produce 640lbs. of long Flax and 160lbs. of tow, 

 therefore, to prove the advantages of Dickson's patents, he 

 brings in contrast the late patents obtained by others, and 

 reported in the annual transactions of the Belfast Flax 

 Society. 



The first and most important is an experiment made by 

 the brother of one of the most extensive Flax-spinning firms 

 in England, Messrs. Marshall and Co., Leeds, and as the 

 owner of the largest works for preparing Flax-straw in this 

 country, and as money is no object when the best machines 

 can be got, his experiments must command attention. 



" Leeds, 27th July, 1850 



"Messrs. A. Bernard and Kock, — I now enclose a state- 

 ment of the result of the experiment with Dutch Flax 

 straw, which I think is favourable to the hot water steeping. — 

 (Signed) Arthur Marshall." 



The experiment with the Dutch Flax-straw was made from 

 a crop in 1849. 



