240 



On Clausse}iLS Flax-Cotton. 



his Lordship's sample being vaUied at63Z. only at that iirae, on account 

 of the lowness of prices, but which would now fetch 100/. His tenants 

 did not, however, succeed so well as himself; they could not transport the 

 flax in its bulk ; they had no water power : and he was unwilling to erect 

 steam power till assured of a market. The consequence was, that he had 

 to take all the flax off the hands of his tenants, so that at that time he had 

 more stacks of flax than of wheat on his farm, with no means of turning 

 them to account." 



We do not propose to enter into the merits of any of the exist- 

 ing systems for preparing the flax by steeping, whether in run- 

 ning streams, in pits, in hot or in cold water, or by the process 

 known as dew-retting. Full particulars and details upon these 

 subjects, and statements of the relative merits of each plan, are to 

 be found in the reports of the Royal Irish Flax Society ; each 

 no doubt possesses its peculiar advantages, but to the growers 

 they one and all appear to present difhculties sufficient to form 

 an insuperable bar to an extended flax culture in this country. 

 What is wanted for the flax-grower is a ready and profitable mar- 

 ket for his produce, without being subjected to any greater amount 

 of difficulty than he experiences in the preparation of his wheat or 

 other cereal produce. If this desideratum can be obtained, it 

 will not be long before flax takes its due position in the ordinary 

 rotation of crops in all parts of the country. We are anxious 

 that no mistake should exist upon this subject, and that it should 

 be clearly understood that the present small quantity of flax pro- 

 duced at home is owing solely and entirely to the difficulty and 

 uncertainty of obtaining a market for the produce. 



In connexion with the existing demand for flax and hemp, it 

 should be borne in mind that the mills and factories in exist- 

 ence are already supplied, and that the British grower can only 

 expect to find there a market for his produce, in proportion as 

 he may be enabled to displace the foreign producer. It is to 

 the opening up of new markets, and of new sources of demand;, 

 that we are anxious to direct attention, as well as to the supply 

 of existing markets. The present position of the cotton manu- 

 facturer, the uncertainty of a continuous sufficient supply of the raw 

 material, and the discoveries of the Chevalier Claussen^ by which 

 flax may be employed to a considerable extent as a substitute for 

 cotton, and may be adapted for mixing with wool ; — to which we 

 referred in our opening remarks, appear to point in the direction 

 whence these new sources of demand will arise. Considering 

 the importance to the farmers of this country of every fact affect- 

 ing the cultivation of flax, the Chevalier Claussen was requested 

 by Mr. Pusey, M.P., the chairman, to attend a meeting of the 

 Council of the Royal Agricultural Society, for the purpose of 

 explaining his invention, and of stating his vie\vs with respect to 

 the increased demxand which might possibly arise for the article 



