472 
Flax for Paper-making. 
"20 cwt. of win-straw would give iu scutcliing; : — 
(a) Best quality, 85 cwt. fibre, Ij cwt. tow, and 15i cwt. waste, &c. 
(6) Medium, 2^ „ „ 1 „ „ 16^ 
■Low, ^11 „ „ I „ „ 17i „ 
" Cost of scutcbing 20 cwt. of win-straw : — 
£ s. d. 
(c) Best fibre, yield 28 stones (14 lbs.), at Is. 2fZ. .. 1 12 8 
Less li cwt. tow, is.M 0 4 4J 
£1 8 3^ 
£ s. d. 
(c) Medium fibre, yield 20 stones (14 lbs.), Is. 2d. .. 13 4 
Less 1 cwt. tow, ds. Qd 0 3 6 
£0 19 10 
£ s. d. 
(d) Low fibre, yield 12 stones (14 lbs.), Is. M 0 18 0 
Less f cwt, tow, 3s 0 2 3 
£0 15 9 
Values of fibres, present season's prices, 1881-82 : — 
Best fibre, 9s. Q>d. per stone = 76s. per cwt., or £76 jier ton. 
Medium, 6s. 6<£. „ = 52s. „ £52 „ 
Low, 4s. Qd. ,, = 36s. „ £36 „ 
"(a) and (li). There might be actually more tow yielded in these two cases 
than I have noted, but the quantities stated would be about what the scutcher 
would be willing to allow as being saleable or fit for rescutching. 
" (c). The rates of scutching are taken the same for these two lots, the 
'best fibre,' though yielding more, would need greater care, and take more 
time per stone to scutch. 
"(S). Bate of scutching. Is. Qd. per stone. This would be so when the 
farmer wanted his poor flax extra well-handled ; if he considered the e.xtra care 
would not pay, he could get it scutched (run through quickly) at the ordinary 
rate of the milling. Is. 2d., the yield of fibre being of course less. 
" (e). The ' waste, &c.,' goes to the scutcher : that is, the straw, woody 
matter, &c., which in scutch-mills driven by steam are used as fuel for the 
boilers." 
Letter No. IL 
" I append a tabular statement, showing acreage and yield of flax in the 
different European countries, which I had intended to note in my last letter. 
The return is for the year ending 31st of December, 1880. The yield of 
fibre per acre in Ireland, you will observe, is considerahly less than what I 
noted in my statement ; but going into farming scientifically, and with proper 
attention to the retting, scutching, &c., 1 believe my estimate would turn out 
a fair one. However, here are the actual averages, and in a paper like that you 
are writing it would be better to stick to the actual than to the probable 
results : — 
