( 1«7 ) 



* XIII. — Flax, its Treatment, Agricaltural and Teclinical. 

 By John Wilson, F.R.S.E., F.G.S., 6cc. 



Flax belongs to the order, Lineae in the Natural System, which 

 is equivalent to the order Pentandria Pentagynia in the Linnacan, 

 a small order containing, according to Lindley,* 3 genera and 

 90 species, which are met with scattered irregularly over the 

 greater part of the world. Europe, North Africa, and North 

 and South America seem to be its principal stations ; individual 

 members, however, are found in India, New Zealand, Australia, 

 and other countries. Its native country appears to be a matter 

 of question amongst botanists, as it is found growing wild in 

 most countries where the physical conditions are suited to its 

 cultivation. The general opinion, however, inclines towards 

 ascribing it to the East. Be that as it may, this disposition to 

 suit itself to such a vast range of soils and climates is of infinite 

 importance to man, as it enables him to avail himself of the 

 advantages resulting from its cultivation to a far greater extent 

 than he otherwise would be able to do. The botanical characters 

 of the order are well marked, and render it easily distinguishable 

 from all others. It possesses 4, or more commonly 5, sepals ; the 

 petals are always equal in number with the sepals ; the stamens 

 are also equal in number, and alternate with them ; it has 5 

 stigmas and an ovarium with 10 divisions, or rather 5 perfect 

 cells, which are separated again by an imperfect partition, ex- 

 tending from its outer wall. In each of these cells is found a 

 single seed, of a flattened oval shape, and of a more or less dark 

 brown colour — mucilaginous to the taste, and containing a large 

 proportion of a brownish yellow oil, known as linseed oil. This 

 oil is readily obtained by pressure from the seed, the residuum 

 being the well-known feeding substance termed linseed cake. 



The members of this order, generally, are remarkable for the 

 tenacity of their fibres, the elegance of their shapes, the beauty 

 of their flowers, which are blue, red, or white,']' and the emollient 

 and demulcent properties of their seeds. All are harmless, some 

 possessing slight medicinal action, in others even this is absent. 

 Of these we may cite the Linum Catharticum, a very common 

 weed, whose leaves contain properties of a purgative character, 

 and the L. selaginoides, which is accounted in South America of 

 great use, both as a mild aperient and as a tonic. Probably these 



* Vegetable Kingdom, p. 485. 



t M. Brogniart considers that -white varieties often exhibit a marked difference 

 in the colouring of the leaves, and suggests that a modification may also exist in 

 the tissues of the stems. M. L. Vilmorin is at present experimenting upon the 

 cultivation of white varieties of flax. So far, he considers the fibre to be of a 

 coarser quality. — Annales de I' Agriculture Frangaise. Fev. 1853. 



