HEMP. 



151 



well with cotton machinery^ and to have^ when manufac- 

 tured^ a finer and stronger texture. 



Flax is largely cultivated in the United Kingdom, espe- 

 cially in Ireland, where it constitutes one of the staple pro- 

 ductions. In 1850 the extent of land under flax cultivation 

 in Great Britain and Ireland was computed at 120,000 acres ; 

 the produce is very variable, ranging from three to ten hun- 

 dredweights per acre ; taking the mean of these quantities, 

 the produce would be about 36,000 tons. Besides this, we 

 received from abroad 90,339 tons, chiefly from Holland, 

 Belgium, Italy, Eussia, Egypt, and Turkey. 



The rough and broken flbres which are detached from the 

 skein during the process of heckling form the article called 

 Codilla or Tow, which is much used by surgeons and in 

 various pharmaceutical operations. 



The seed of flax, or Linseed, will be mentioned in the 

 chapter on oils. 



Hemp. Cannabis sativa, (ISTat. Ord. CannahinacecB.) 

 (Plate YII. fig. 34.) 



This is a plant of great antiquity; Herodotus, 2500 

 years ago, spoke of its cultivation by the Scythians, who, 

 he said, made garments of it as fine as flax-linen. Its use 

 had become so general amongst the Romans in the time of 



