390 



On the Cultivation of Flax. 



following season, or if it has been made shallow with sloping 

 banks may be sown with grass seeds. 



The other refuse part of the plant, viz. the shove or woody 

 portion of the stem, is of but slight value as manure. Sir R. 

 Kane gives its composition as follows; 



Carbon . 

 Hydrogen 

 Nitroy;en 



Oxygen 

 Ashes . 



50-34 

 7-33 

 24 

 40-52 

 1-57 



100-00 



It is therefore only the thirtieth part as valuable, wcio-ht for 

 weight, as the dried steep-water extract. It is with difficulty 

 decomposable under ordinary circumstances, or even when mixed 

 with highly fermenting manure. It may be advantageously used 

 for absorbing the steep-water, or may be mixed in the dung-pit. 

 When used as fuel the ashes should be carefully preserved. 



Since this analysis was made. Professors Johnson and Hodges 

 severally investigated the subject, and published, as the result of 

 their labours, that every 100 lbs. of flax fibre contained, on an 

 average, 2 lbs. of mineral matters, including lime, magnesia, 

 oxide of iron, carbonic, phosphoric, and sulphuric acids^ and 

 silica. This very small proportion showed Sir R. Kane's deduc- 

 tions to be practically, if not literally, correct. 



The following table will give a general idea of the weight in 

 different states of the flax-crop. Five roods, statute measure, 

 were sown with the different kinds of seed noted below, a rood 

 to each, and the quantity of seed was at the rate of three bushels 

 per acre. 



Seeds. 



American . , 

 Riga .... 

 Dutcli .... 

 Irisli, saved from 



Riga . . . 

 Riga, of the former 



year's import 



Weight when 

 pulled. 



Weight after 

 steeping and 

 drying. 



Produce 

 of 



clean Flax. 



Produce 

 of 

 Seed. 



cwts. qrs. lbs. 



12 3 7 

 12 2 23 

 12 1 1 



cwts. qrs. lbs. 

 4 2 0 

 4 I 0 

 4 1 6 



lbs. 

 42 

 54 

 49 



bushels. 



i? 



13 2 14 



4 0 3 



70 





10 3 24 



3 1 0 



45 





From this table we would infer that the a\ erage weight of the 

 crop as pulled is about five tons to the acre, after steeping and 

 drying 32 cwt., and of clean flax 416 lbs., of seed lOJ bushels. 

 But as the season of 1846 was the worst for flax known in Ire- 



