[Agricultural and Technical. 



191 



of the civilized world are supplied with clothing- either from the 

 animal or vegetable kingdoms, — either wool or silk, — the one 

 the produce of temperate, the other of warmer climates ; or cotton 

 and flax, the first requiring the moisture and heat of tropical 

 countries, the other a native of our own, delighting in our tem- 

 perate climate ; still we have to depend mainly on foreign lands 

 for the supply we need, and for which our own are so peculiarly 

 adapted. This is very true ; and no doubt now that the question 

 of exhaustion of the soil is set at rest by the true explanation 

 which science has placed in our hands ; * and increased cultiva- 

 tion and observation have enabled us to decide upon the character 

 of the soil best suited, mechanically as well as chemically, for 

 its growth ; we shall acknowledge the demand made upon us for 

 its production, and receive it into our ordinary rotations without 

 any of those terrors of subsequent poverty to the soil with which 

 it has hitherto been accompanied. 



Flax, fortunately, has a very wide range of soils :t sands, sandy 

 loams, light and heavy clays, gravels, chalk, marls, alluvial soils, 



* Some experiments were made a short time since, by Dr. Hodges, for the 

 purpose of ascertaining the relative proportions of the produce of flax, and also the 

 distribution of the inorganic matter in them. The flax employed had been steeped 

 in the ordinary way, and was found to contain 1'73 of ash. Of this air-dried 

 straw 4000 lbs. weight were taken, which produced — 



Of dressed fibre 500 lbs. 



fine tow . . . . . . 132 



coarse tow ...... 192 



Of fibre in all . . 824 lbs. 



These products contained— 



In the dressed flax .... 4*48 lbs. of ash. 



fine tow . . . . . . 2-08 



coarse tow . . . » .2*56 , , 



Or in the whole of the fibre . . . 9 • ] 2 lbs. of inorganic matter ; 

 so that 59 "08 lbs., which the crop had withdrawn from the soil, remained in the 

 useless portions, while only 9 • 12 lbs. were carried ofl' in the dressed fibre. 



t 



Ieish. 



Belgian. 





1. 



2. 



3. 



4. 



5. 



6. 





Silica . . . 

 Alumina . • 

 Water . . . 

 Organic \ 

 Matter j 



73' 72 



6- 65 



7- 57 



4*86 



69*41 



5*77 

 11-48 



6-67 



64-93 

 8-97 



8- 62 



9- 41 



92-78 



1- 11 



2- 03 



2-74 



87-04 

 1-52 

 3*8 



4-48 



91-8 

 1-22 

 1-85 



3-45 



86-47 



1- 57 



2- 92 



5 -78 





Londonderry and Tyrone. 



Dussel, 



near 

 Antwerp. 



Courtrai. 



Lakeren. 



Ypres. 



Prize Essay on Flax, by James M'Adam, jun. E.A.S. Journal, vol. viii. 



