291 
10.43 per cent, of phosphoric acid. The nutritive matter 
thus extracted from flax, with the capsules (seed husks), and 
chaff of flax, are eaten with avidity, and this has called 
forth much attention to the feeding powers of the flax plant. 
It is related that a cow fed upon the " Bolls" or capsules 
and chaff of the flax plant, and which gave from two and 
under three quarts of milk, when fed with the above food, 
gave nine quarts of excellent milk. To test the value of this 
peculiar food, the owner discontinued the flax feeding, and 
the cow soon fell off to four quarts of milk daily. 
Sir Robert Kane has analysed the flax capsule dried at 
212, and this gave 6.54 per cent, ash, and 100 ash yield- 
ing 5.74 of phosphoric acid, the husk is equal to 1.5 of. nitro- 
gen. It will thus be seen that it contains much of the important 
constituents required for animal life and vigour. 
The nutritive powers of different substances, estimated by 
their most valuable ingredients, may be thus compared : — 
NUTEITIVE CoMPAKISONS. 
Wheat as 100 Flax Seeds 33 
Oats as 51 Linseed Cake 70 
Flax Capsules and Seed... 27 Dry Clover Hay 39 
Flax Husks 22 
Linseed may be thus shown by analysis to yield in the 
different portions of — 
Ashes. Phosphates. Nitrogen. 
.. 0.39 . 
.. 1.80 
.. 0.38 . 
.. 1.50 
. 0.47 . 
. 1.81 
.. 0.81 . 
. 2.25 
. 2.3 
... 0.60 . 
. 2.2 
It also results that about 2J cwt. of dressed flax takes about 
1 J lb. of ingredients from the soil. 
Enough has surely been done by science within a few 
years to dispel that prejudice against the crop which is said 
