PROFITS OF GROWING FLAX. 



113 



from Messrs. Toole and Co., four bushels to the Irish acre. 

 These fifteen acres produced 345 bushels of excellent seed, 

 which were sold to average — 



7s. 6d. per bushel, making . . . . . £129 7 6 

 He has in flax produce, already scutched 850 st. of 14 lbs. 

 To scutch, at least . . . 200 do. 



1050 stone ; 



Or 6 tons, 1 1 cwt. 1 qr., for which he has been offered 



60/. per ton, amounting to ... . 393 15 



Being for the fifteen Irish acres . . . . £523 2 6 



Or, per acre £ 34 17 6 



The average value of Irish flax may be at present estimated 

 at from 451. to 50/. per ton — so that, instead of the flax having 

 been injured by the saving of the seed, the crop has, by good 

 management, produced an article exceeding in value from 20 

 to 33J per cent, the average of the country. 



Mr. Wolstenholme has this year sown forty Irish acres with 

 flax, viz. — 



35 acres with seed of his own saving, 



2 with Riga. 



3 with Dutch. 



The seed of his own saving was sown three or four days 

 after the foreign, but came up before it, a much stronger plant 

 and thicker in the ground, although the same quantity of 

 each was grown — and to this moment promises to be a superior 

 crop. 



Computing that 100,000 Irish acres are sown, and that the 

 crop of seed be but 20 bushels per acre, and the price only 6s. 

 for crushing, still the value of the seed crop would be 600,000/. ; 

 and if the crop of flax on 100,000 acres yielded only 7 cwt. per 

 acre, or 35,000 tons. 



This quantity, at 45/., would be ... . £1,575,000 

 at 50/., .... 1,750,000 



And, therefore, the increased value, if at 60/., by superior 

 management, would be a further gain of from 350,000/. to 



I 



