On the Cultivation of Flax. 



395 



£. s. (/. £. s. c1. 



Brought forward . . . . . , . 9 0 6 



Produce. 



3S stones of flax (16 lbs. each) at Qs. 6d. .12 7 0 



18 bushels of seed, dit 6s. 6d 5 17 0 



50 bushels of husks, at 4^/ 0 16 8 



19 0 8 



Profit ... 10 0 2 



No. 2. Expenses on 1 Statute Acre of Flax. 







£. 



s. 



d. 



Rent and taxes ..... 





1 



10 



0 



Ploughing, harrowing, and rolling . 





1 



8 



0 



2^ bushels of seed, at 10^. 





1 



5 



0 



Weeding, pulling, rippling, and steeping . 





1 



2 



0 



Taking from steep, spreading, turning, and lifting 



1 



12 



6 



Scutching 30 stones, at U. 4c/. 





2 



0 



0 



Cleaning seed ..... 





0 



6 



0 



Produce. 











30 stones of flax, at 95. Qd. 





14 



5 



0 



10 bushels of seed, at Qs. 6d. , 





3 



5 



0 



Husks . . . , . • 





0 



8 



0 



17 18 0 



8 14 6 



In explanation of the above the following points must be no- 

 ticed: — The value of the flax in No. 1 cannot be less than 6.9. 

 per stone under any circumstances of fair management, but that 

 of No. 2 may reach as high as 155. or even 20^. under favourable 

 circumstances. The charge for scutching is higher in No. 2, as 

 fine flax requires to be dressed with more care to guard against 

 loss. In general it may be observed that the profits are usually 

 pretty equal, whether the flax be grown primarily for seed or for 

 fibre, the greater produce in the first case of seed, and the higher 

 value of the dressed flax in the second, maintaining a just equi- 

 librium. 



It now remains for us to glance at the reasons for and against 

 flax, and to inquire whether the general resumption of this culture 

 at this time presents more advantages than formerly, and what 

 these advantages are. 



The first and great objection urged against flax is, that it is an 

 exhausting crop, that it derives a large proportion of organic 

 matters from the soil, rendering it unfitted, without manuring, to 

 bear other crops luxuriantly. Per se, this is quite just, as flax 

 does abstract a larger amount of nitrogen from the soil than many 

 other crops commonly cultivated in Great Britain. In practice, 



