116 
Farminrj of Yorkshire. 
satisfactory both in quantity and quality. It seldom, if ever, 
occupies the ground more than four months, and therefore allows 
sufficient time in average seasons for a good fallow previous to 
the wheat crop, which experience proves to be its best successor. 
Should the root-diseas econtinuc, the southern counties will 
probably adopt flax culture into their course, but we should re- 
commend them to grow the plant not for its seed only, but to 
keep in view the importance of the fibre, which the advantage of 
railway conveyance will in many cases place within reach of 
steam-power. 
It is but fair, however, to state that this has been the 
subject of much controversy. The matter was fully discussed 
in the year 1845, in a paper brought forward by Mr. Wells, of 
Booth Ferry, which is to be found in vol. xvi. of the ' Farmer's 
Magazine,' together with many letters on the same subject by 
the advocates of flax culture : the reply of Mr. Wells is also 
published in vol. xvii. of the same magazine. Unfortunately the 
unfavourable results there anticipated have been fully borne out 
in that district. The extensive flax-works at Rawcliffe, Fairfield, 
Selby, River Bridge, and Pocklington, in which reeling and 
scutching by steam-power were to compensate for the lowness 
of price, have all proved failures, and, with one exception, are 
all closed ; Messrs. Marshall, of Patrington, however, still have 
large quantities of line, but the district in which their works are 
carried on seems to be fatal to their securing the growth of line 
off the warp-land districts : local buyers on the old system, since 
the price rose ten years ago, beating them out of the market. 
Around Crowle the growth is increasing. 
The repeated failure of the turnip crop has stimulated the 
farmer to try again those roots which will best supply his wants. 
The kohl-rabi has this year proved invaluable in some soils 
where turnips have failed. 
. Holcus saccharatus. — The Holcus saccharatus, which was in- 
troduced from China a few years ago, seemed likely to be a 
useful forage plant. The cattle and horses like it, and it is good 
especially for milch cows ; still it is too tender to be grown suc- 
cessfully in this county. Frost is fatal to it; and, though in a 
suitable climate it attains the height of 12 feet, the cold and 
wet of this summer prevented its reaching as many inches. The 
quantity of seed sown per acre is 10 lbs. 
C/i/cor?/.— Chicory was grown very extensively some years 
ago, but, as the cultivation has now considerabl}^ diminished, we 
notice the fact without entering into a lengthened detail of its 
introduction and subsequent abandonment, observing briefly that 
the alteration made in the duty, and the regulations of the excise, 
render it no longer as profitable as formerly. 
