388 



On the Cultivation of Flax. 



and it enables the farmer to store past his crop at a busy period 

 of the year, until a leisure time in the next spring, and does not 

 bind him down to any precise time for steeping;, since he can 

 choose any time from May till September for that operation. 

 Flax thus treated requires a longer time to water than what is 

 steeped green^ and is rarely of so good a colour or quality in this 

 country, although in Belgium it is equal to any, and superior for 

 some purposes. This, however, may be owing to the peculiar 

 excellence of the Lys water for steeping, all dried in this way 

 being so retted. There is a mode of growing flax practised in 

 the neighbourhood of Cambrai which deserves a brief notice. 

 Double the usual quantity of seed is sown, and small sticks are 

 set up in the ground with branches of shrubs or brambles resting 

 on them a few inches from the surface. The plants push up 

 through this covering and are so supported by it that they can- 

 not afterwards be blown down by wind or rain, however violent. 

 The greatest care is given to the manipulation of the crop in 

 every stage, and after it has been carefully scutched the fibre 

 brings a very high price for the manufacture of lace thread. 

 This system is of course only suited to the small cottier who can 

 devote close attention to its management. 



After the flax has been taken from the pool means should be 

 taken to make available for manure the water which it contains, 

 which holds dissolved nine-tenths of the organic matters that the 

 plant takes up from the soil. Its analysis is thus given by Sir 

 Robert Kane. It was evaporated to an extract, and yielded, 

 dried at 212 degrees — 



Carbon 

 Hydrogen 

 Nitrogen 

 Oxygen 

 Ashes . 



30' 

 4' 

 2' 

 20 

 42" 



69 

 24 

 24 

 80 

 01 



100-00 



The large proportion of ashes was next analysed, and gave the 

 following result, in 100 parts : — 



Potash 9-78 



Soda . 

 Lime . 

 Magnesia 

 Alumina 

 Silica . 

 Phosphoric acid 

 Chlorine 

 Carbonic acid 

 Sulphuric acid 



9-82 

 12-33 



7-79 



6-08 

 21-35 

 10-84 



2-41 

 16-95 



2-65 



100-00 



