On the Cultivation of Flax. 



409 



APPENDIX A. 



Referred to at page 448. 



The following Rotations will serve to show the way in which the flax 

 may be included in the course of cropping, and they may be varied or 

 combined according to circumstances : — 



A Four Years* Rotation. — ] st year, wheat ; 2nd year, turnips ; a 

 portion more or less, according to circumstances, being appropriated to 

 Hax, with a chance in favourable seasons, of obtaining a late crop of 

 turnips after the flax has been pulled ; 3rd year, barley or oats, with 

 clover-seeds ; 4th year, clover-hay ; then the rotation commences again. 

 This gives a quicker return of each kind than is generally desirable; but 

 the flax crop may be varied by taking a diff'erent part of the turnip land 

 at each retm^n ; and potatoes, carrots, or mangold-wurzel may be occa- 

 sionally introduced, so as to give a greater variety without departing 

 from the general rotation. 



A Five Years* Rotation. — 1st year, wheat manured ; 2nd year, flax ; 

 3rd year, turnips, potatoes, or mangold-wurzel manured ; 4th year, 

 barley or oats, with clover and grass-seeds; 5th year, hay; and then 

 the rotation again commences. This gives a sufficiently quick return 

 for flax or any other crop ; and it may be stated as a general rule, that 

 the more varied the rotation, and the longer the interval betw^een the 

 same description of crop, the better will it be for the land and the better 

 will be the produce. 



A Six Years'* Rotation. — 1st year, turnips, potatoes, or mangold- 

 wurzel manured ; 2nd year, barley or oats with clover-seeds ; 3rd year, 

 clover hay; 4th year, flax, with or without a slight dash of manure ac- 

 cording to the strength of the land; 5th year, wheat manured, and the 

 flax having been pulled in July gives half a summer fallow for the 

 wheat; 6th year, barley or oats. Neither of the foregoing rotations 

 include peas or beans, which may, however, be introduced so as to pro- 

 long each of the courses a year. 



The following Six Years' Rotation has been found to answer well in 

 Ireland, viz., 1st year, potatoes, turnips, or mangold-w^urzel manured ; 

 2nd year, wheat or oats ; 3rd year, flax with clover and grass-seeds sown 

 therewith ; 4th year, clover hay ; 5th year, grass ; 6th year, oats or 

 wheat. 



It is, however, a disputed point whether clover should be sown with 

 flax, and conflicting opinions for and against have been urged ; but it is 

 admitted on all hands that clover does well after flax, the early pulling 

 loosening the soil and encouraging the growth of the clover. As hr as 

 I have been able to ascertain, there is no well-grounded objection to the 

 practice ; but on this point, as on all others, experience is the only sure 

 guide, and the best course will be to try it in a small way at first. If it 

 succeeds, persevere — if otherwise, abandon the practice. 



A Seven Years' Rotation. — 1st year, turnips manured; 2nd year, 

 wheat; 3rd year, flax half-manured as for wheat; 4th year, barley, with 

 clover and grass-seeds ; 5th year, clover hay ; 6th year, beans or peas ; 

 7th year, wheat or oats; and then the same rotation over again. This 



VOL. VIII. 2 I 



