Aug. 1, 1865.] THE TECHNOLOGIST. 
FLAX IN CANADA. 23 
quality of linen goods that will be less expensive and more durable than 
articles made from cotton. In Ireland, when the American war broke 
out, it was supposed the linen trade was ruined, from the loss of their 
customers in the Southern States. But not six months afterwards a 
market sprang up in France that fully compensated for this temporary 
drawback, and qualities of goods have since been introduced into that 
market, that will never be superseded by cotton. 
The progress of flax culture in Ireland, and the present prosperous 
state of the manufactures there, is a strong inducement to parties to em- 
bark in it in Canada. First of all, the farmer in Ireland pays a heavy 
rent for his land. From one to two and three pounds sterling per acre 
is paid, and often for lands especially adapted for the growth of flax, I 
have known as high as eight guineas an acre paid. I may state that I 
was present when the party paying that amount was offered 30Z. sterling 
per acre for his flax on the ground before it was pulled, which he refused,, 
and I learned afterwards he made more of it. The manufacturers too, 
have often to invest large amounts in leasehold property where the land 
belongs to some estated gentleman ; and frequently at the expiration of 
such lease an additional rent is exacted, or perhaps the tenant is 
dispossessed, and loses his improvements altogether. We have 
no such occurrences to dread in Canada : here, parties own lands, 
have no rents to pay, a mere trifle for taxes, and their improve- 
ments remain in their own hands, instead of falling into the hands 
of other parties. 
Apprehensions are entertained by some with respect to flax exhaust- 
ing the land. On this head I would simply state that most writers on 
the subject maintain it does not exhaust the soil more than any other 
crop ; nor can I imagine that a crop put into the ground, say in the 
middle of the month of April or early in May, and taken off about the 
same time in July, can draw more largely on the land than a crop of 
wheat which is put in in the month of September, and not taken off 
before the month of August following. The one remains in the ground 
some eleven months, while the other is only in the ground three months, 
and often less time than that. However, be that as it may, if there is 
anything like the advantage I have endeavoured to show there is in 
growing a crop of flax, and it is feared it may exhaust the land some- 
what more than any other crop, only add a few more loads of manure to 
the field you intend for flax the year before, or use a quantity of artifi- 
cial manure such as Coe's Superphosphate of Lime, which is so highly 
recommended as a fertilizer, and your land will lose none of its pro- 
ducing qualities. There are plenty of farmers in the neighbourhood of 
Norval and in the county of Waterloo, who will tell you that they have 
sown wheat after flax, and succeeded in getting as good a crop as they 
would have had after any other crop. As already stated, the question 
is often asked, will flax do to seed down with ? This is often done, and 
that successfully. Before sowing it is necessary to have the ground in 
