Cultivation of Pla.r. 
549 
not unfrequently most in excess, in those districts where the farms 
are small ; and it is to these districts that the cultivation of flax 
is more especially suited, and where it would confer the greatest 
benefit. The farms in Belgium are universally small, from 20 to 
50 acres being about the average, but many are under 10 acres. 
In Ireland the holdings are likewise small ; and in both countries 
the population is great in proportion to the area. In both countries 
likewise the cultivation of flax is found to be highly profitable, 
and to afford beneficial employment to the people. 
I do not mean to discuss the comparative advantages and disad- 
vantages of large and small farms ; but I may venture to remark, 
that neither small farms exclusively, nor large farms exclusively, 
appear to me to be desirable, but rather an admixture of both. 
By such admixture, a gradation of employment is found for differ- 
ent degrees of farming skill and capital, and a stimulus to exertion 
is held out to the man with small beginnings, who may hope, as his 
knowledge and his means increase, to rise progressively in his pro- 
fession, from a farm of 20 to one of 50 and 100 acres. If farms 
were either all large, or all small, this incentive to exertion would 
be wanting. If small, there would be no room for improvement or 
extension ; and if large, the man of slender means, however skilful 
and industrious, would look hopelessly above him : there would 
be no intermediate steps, no gradation by which he might hope to 
climb upwards to a farm of 100, 200, or 500 acres ; and he would 
too probably sink back into inertness, if not into despondency. 
A variety in the size of farms, proportioned to the various 
amounts of skill and capital of the farmers, appears therefore the 
most desirable for all classes. This variety exists, with few ex- 
ceptions, throughout England, and coupled with the circumstances 
of our rural population, cannot but be considered as favourable to 
the introduction of flax culture. 
The Belgians and Dutch are very skilful in the cultivation of 
flax, and Flemish flax bears a high price in the market. In Ire- 
land until recently, the cultivation was much neglected, and the 
flax raised was of a very inferior quality. This was not so much 
owing to the inferior nature of the plant, as to the mode of ma- 
naging it after it was drawn ; and the Society which was esta- 
blished a few years ago in the north of Ireland for encouraging 
the growth and improving the preparation of flax, directed its 
earliest attention to correct this defective management. They 
brought over skilful cultivators from Belgium to instruct the 
people ; and afterwards, finding that this was not sufficient for 
the purpose, they selected a number of intelligent young men, 
and sent them to Belgium to learn the Flemish mode of culti- 
vating and preparing the flax ; and the resvilt has been, that not 
only has the quantity of flax grown greatly increased since the 
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