324 
PAPERS AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
as well as quantity; for as the durability of 
the fibre depends in some measure upon its 
size, there can be no doubt that tall and 
vigorous plants are preferable to small ones. 
There are various ways of disposing this 
plant so as to be exceedingly ornamental, 
but none more so than scattering it in ran- 
dom parcels, or little clumps of from ten to 
twenty plants, towards the back of the flower- 
borders, and in the front of the shrubbery : 
for, without the summer proves uncommonly 
dry, it will attain to the height of three and 
four feet. If a temporary edging, or summer 
screen, is wanted for any particular bed, it may 
be also employed for this purpose. The seeds 
of good flax are short, plump, thick, very 
oily, and of a bright brown colour. The best 
season for sowing them in most gardens is 
February, or the beginning of March, when 
the general crop of hardy annuals is put in ; 
but if the ground be sandy, and naturally dry, 
they should be sown in October or Novem- 
ber. No more attention than what is neces- 
sary for the other flowers in the garden — 
which is, keeping down all weeds, while in the 
seed-leaf, with a hoe — will be requisite for 
this. As soon as the seed begins to ripen, 
and the plants turn yellow, pull the whole up 
by the roots, and lay it in bundles exposed to 
the full sun, if the weather is fine, to dry 
completely. Then pull the heads off, and 
shake out the seeds. Immediately after it 
must be laid to macerate in a ditch, or pond 
of water, and kept under by a long piece of 
timber floating upon it. From five to ten 
days is the time necessary for its immersion, 
and after the fifth, it must be examined daily, 
taking especial care that it does not lie too 
long. As soon as ever you find the fibres are 
sufficiently macerated to separate from one 
another kindly, spread it to dry on a new- 
mown meadow. When dry it must be again 
collected into bundles, and either sent to the 
flax-dresser, or prepared for spinning at home 
by the gardener's wife. In many districts 
this operation is well understood, and if care- 
fully performed, homespun linen from such 
flax will last twice the time of most of the 
Irish linen that is to be purchased in our 
shops. I believe it is a great error to pull 
the flax so green as is commonly practised, 
and a still greater to soak it in water before 
it is previously dried, for the fibres require 
twice the time to macerate sufficiently for 
separation in the dressing. — Letter from Mr. 
J. Dunbar. 
Forest Trees in Parks. — This is a 
country abounding with stone, and as my 
quarries, out of which I was building a new 
mansion, afforded much refuse stone in large 
lumps, I made a trial by planting some trees of 
about eight feet in height, and placing at their 
feet two two-horse cart loads of rough lumps 
of stone, not built up high, but packed close 
by each other, and set on edge so as to make 
a tabulai', but very rugged surface round the 
foot of the tree, and extended to the distance 
of four feet. These trees succeeded well, and 
far beyond my expectation. On considering 
the cause of their success, it appeared to me 
that the stones served the three purposes of 
fencing, staking, and mulching : the first of 
which is always necessary, to defend them 
from the assaults of cattle ; the second is 
equally so if the plants are tall, to save them 
from being displaced by winds after they shall 
have taken fresh root ; and the third also is 
necessary in case of a dry summer, the first 
after the transplantation of the trees, to pro- 
tect the soil from over drought, whilst they 
are striking fresh root into it. The stones, 
placed as I have described, are a sufficient 
fence against horned cattle, which, having 
feet made for going upon soft ground, will not 
mount the rugged surface of the stones. Sheep 
and deer will scarcely annoy trees whose bark 
has acquired roughness ; but they may be 
easily repelled by a few thorns bound round 
the lower part of the stems. Nor will com- 
mon horses go upon the stones, or endeavour 
to reach the trees, and tear off the bark ; but, 
against high-bred horses, which are disposed 
to attack everything of wood, the stones are not 
a sufficient fence, unless they are packed with 
a surface very rugged, and extended six feet 
round the tree. Against displacement by 
winds the stones are a better security than can 
be provided by any manner of staking and 
binding ; for they are a power always in 
action by their weight, and the surface of the 
soil is shaded by them from the too great 
power of the sun, whilst the rains sink 
through, and encourage the roots to sprout 
afresh, and extend themselves through the 
soil ; thus they serve the purpose of mulching. 
The best trees to plant out are certainly those 
whose roots and heads have been properly 
trained by pruning and cultivation in a nm*- 
sery : such may be planted out at greater ages 
and sizes than trees taken from plantations of 
a few years' growth, and will both strike fresh 
root more certainly, and grow faster ; but these 
last maybe taken up when from ten to twenty 
or twenty-five feet high, and planted out with 
full success, provided the three following par- 
ticulars are observed : — first, to get up as much 
root as possible ; next, to reduce the branches 
down to the due proportion with the root 
which has been got up. A great part of the 
roots is unavoidably lost in the taking up of 
the tree, and it is the most efficient part, 
being the extreme fibres ; the root has thus 
lost its natural proportion to the head, and is 
now insufficient to supply it with moisture. 
