Or the Cultivation of Flax. 



447 



for every description of crop, but it is especially necessary for 

 flax ; as, unless the ground is well worked and brought to an even 

 surface, the seed cannot be evenly sown, and even-sowing is essen- 

 tial to the even growth and perfection of the plant. 



The advantao^es derived from drainino; and subsoilinor are now 

 so well understood, and so generally admitted^ that it is needless 

 to say more with respect to these operations, than that they are 

 as necessary for flax as for any other crop. But although the 

 land should be well drained, flax will bear a good deal of mois- 

 ture, and in fact thrives best in a moist climate. Hence the pe- 

 culiar suitableness of England for its growth, our climate being 

 generally more humid than that of the continent, especially in 

 the w^estern counties. Indeed^ long continued drought is the 

 chief enemy the flax grower has to dread. He is rarely injured 

 by excess of moisture, provided his land be thoroughly drained. 



Flax generally thrives best after wheat, and on new soils, and 

 it may often be advantageously grow^n on rough unbroken land if 

 it be properly worked. In Ireland flax is seldom grown after 

 potatoes, for w^hich the ground being in general highly manured, 

 causes the flax to grow rank and coarse. The same objection 

 would apply in this country ; but in either case, if new land be 

 broken up for the potato crop, flax may often succeed with ad- 

 vantage. It is not, however, found to thrive after turnips, at least 

 there are instances recorded of its failure when sown immediately 

 following a turnip crop, which ought therefore to be avoided. 



Flax does well after wheat, and W'heat does well after flax. 

 The two crops appear to have a peculiar relation, neither ab- 

 stracting from the soil the kind of nourishment required by the 

 other. It would be worth v.hile to ascertain how long alternate 

 crops of wheat and flax could be grown without deterioration to 

 either. Such an experiment might be useful as a guide in regu- 

 lating the general rotations. Flax does well, likewise, after peas 

 and beans; and as these crops are especially useful v/hen com- 

 bined with the flax-seed in cattle-feeding, they should be included 

 in every rotation of which flax forms a part. 



The extent to which flax can be advantageously grown in any 

 particular case, must depend in great measure upon the size of the 

 farm, and the nature of the rotations to which it is subjected. 

 On small farms it may be included in the general rotation with 

 some degree of regularity; but on extensive farms, Avhere the 

 enclosures are large and the breadth of crops considerable, this 

 can hardly be done ; and flax may there most conveniently come 

 in for a portion of the land in turn for turnips. 



In Belgium it is the usual practice to grow flax after corn, and 

 seldom ottener than once in five years. Some persons recom- 

 mend intervals of seven years, and others of tea years ; but if the 



