On tlie Cultivation of Flax. 



373 



ashes, lime, and night-soil arc used ; the last is much esteemed. 

 But the favourite manure is tourteaux (oil-cakes) of rape, came- 

 line, and poppy, sometimes applied dry, but more frequently 

 dissolved in urine, at the rate of 100 cakes to the cent of land, 

 the quantity of urine being about 2400 gallons per acre. This 

 manure warms and forces forward the young plant better than 

 any other; and many farmers maintain that it conduces to fineness 

 of fibre. Some apply farm-yard manure at the first ploughing in 

 November, and the tourteaux in March, about eight to twelve 

 days before the sowing. In Ireland the farmers seldom, if ever, 

 apply manure, considering the ground sufficiently enriched by 

 the manure applied with the green crops two years previous, and 

 fearing rankness of growth and consequent injury of the crop by 

 lodging in the summer rains.* When the young flax-plants have 

 attained the height of a couple or three inches they should be 

 carefully weeded. So much stress is laid on this point, both in 

 Belgium and Holland, that they are sometimes weeded twice, or 

 even three times, at intervals. The chief reason is, of course, to 

 prevent useless vegetation abstracting a portion of the nourish- 

 ment; but weeds are hurtful, also, to the flax-crop, in retaining 

 moisture, and preventing the circulation of air ; this invariably 

 causes a discoloration about the root-ends. The operation of 

 weeding should be very carefully done, so as not to injure the 

 tender young plants, by women or children, who, after wrapping 

 cloths about their knees, should commence, in a creeping posture, 

 to weed the field, turning their faces always to the wind. By 

 these precautions the plant is not crushed into the earth, as it 

 would be by the weight of persons walking over it ; and, being all 

 pressed one way, facing the wind, is raised by the current of air 

 to its upright position in a short time. A breezy dry day will 

 therefore be most appropriate. Flax is in the most critical period 

 before it covers the ground sufficiently to keep off the rays of the 

 sun from the soil ; hot dry weather, coming on before this, parches 

 up the roots, and their delicate fibres are withered, the plant 

 droops, turns a whitish -yellow, and, if the drought continues long, 

 dies altogether on arid tracts of ground. In such a case I have 

 known flax to be watered with a regular water-cart, which will 

 go over an acre in the day, and much good to result from the ap- 

 plication. 



During the latter end of June flax flowers ; at which time the 

 plant, with its delicate blue blossoms, presents a beautiful appear- 

 ance. After the flower drops off, the seed-capsules, or bolls, 

 begin to form ; when they have attained their full-size, about the 



* Guano has been applied without benefit to flax. Among Liebig's 

 patent manures is one for this crop. 



VOL. VIIT. 2 C 



