Flax for Paper-making. 
461 
where barley would certainly be too heavy, flax may be grown 
without any danger of that kind. 
5. Birds do not touch it at planting-time, though, when ripe, 
finches are very fond of it. 
6. It may be planted later than spring corn, thus affording 
more time to clean the land.* 
7. It may be grown on land that cannot be depended upon to 
produce malting barley. 
8. I believe it is practically proof against wire-worm. 
9. Rabbits and hares do not eat it, though they will occa- 
sionally cut roads through it. 
On the other hand it has the following disadvantages : The 
cultivation may cost IQs. an acre more than for wheat or barley, 
but it will be better perhaps to compare it with a spring crop, 
say barley, leaving wheat out of the question. The cost of 
harvesting will be 10s. an acre greater ; and, if the ordinary 
threshing-machine is used, that process will be more costly ; 
but a new process of separating the seed from the straw, by 
passing it between rollers, is about to be brought out, which 
will, I think, put the two crops on an equality in this respect. 
Assuming the preparation to be equal, say 10 tons of roots per 
acre fed off on the land with cake, the crop of barley may be cal- 
culated on good suitable soil to produce — 
£ s. 
36 Lnshels at 4s. M 8 2 
30 cwt. straw at Is. 6(Z. 2 5 spending price. 
£10 7 
This would be perhaps generally considered too high an 
estimate — at all events it would be highly satisfactory to the . 
grower. Under the same conditions I think flax may be safely 
estimated to produce as follows : — 
£ s. 
20 bushels seed, 8s 8 0 
30 cwt. straw, \s.Qd G 15 
14 15 
Deduct extra cost of producing;, say 1?. per acre (pulling] 
and cultivation) ; threshing, 5s.; delivering, 10s. perl 1 15 
ton j 
£13 0 
which leaves a balance of 2Z, 13s. in favour of the flax. But in 
this estimate I feel confident that, owing to the less risky cha- 
racter of the flax-crop, there would be far greater certainty of 
* There is a very nice crop in this neighbourhood, planted on May 24th this 
year. 
