as practised in Ireland and on the Continent. 425 
at about 2,000,000 statute acres. The culture of the crop and 
the preparation of the fibre receive less care than in any other 
flax-producing country. The mode of tilling the land is very 
crude and primitive ; weeding, on which so much importance 
is placed elsewhere, is never resorted to. A large quantity of 
seed is saved in this country. It is usually grown on poor soil, 
the seed of which is considered very much better for sowing 
purposes than that which has been produced on rich lands. Flax 
is sown thin in Russia, which partly accounts for the coarseness 
of the fibre. Were it sown thick, it would be more liable to 
be laid by the severe thunderstorms which frequently occur 
at the time it is in flower. It is unnecessary to go further 
into the details of flax manipulation in Russia ; the scutching 
is done by hand, and forms an indoor occupation for the pea- 
santry during the long and rigorous winter which prevails in 
that country. 
The foregoing account only enters into the mode of treating 
flax by fermentation under natural circumstances : but hitherto the 
artificial methods which have been adopted to separate the fibre 
from the shove have not been attended, except in one instance 
which will be hereafter described, with favourable results. The 
application of chemical agents has also been unproductive of 
producing the desired effect. Schenck's process of retting flax at 
a high temperature by the introduction of steam into the water 
in the vats containing the flax attracted at one time considerable 
attention ; but the fibre produced, although possessing many 
outward appearances of merit, was deficient in those qualities 
necessary to the spinner. A modification of Schenck's process 
consisted in introducing steam into closed chambers, in which 
the flax was placed. This process was known as Watts' patent, 
and also failed ; the large establishments which were constructed 
for carrying out these operations are either in disuse, or have been 
converted to other purposes. 
The end aimed at by these methods was to effect the sepa- 
ration of the flax-fibre from the shove in a more perfect manner 
and in a shorter time than by the natural process of fermenta- 
tion, and thus do away with the present uncertain and pre- 
carious mode practised by each individual farmer, who is 
entirely dependent upon the weather during the steeping of his 
flax in the ordinary open-air dams, which are subject to all the 
vicissitudes of temperature that usually occur at the season of the 
year when the flax-crop arrives at maturity. 
From past experience, any artificial method of treating flax is 
naturally viewed by those interested Avith disfavour and dis- 
2 G 2 
