Aug. 1, 1365.] THE TECHNOLOGIST. 
FLAX IN CANADA. 2') 
steamer at Belfast, or at any of the railway termini. The only attention 
the machine requires is to keep the bearings well oiled. 
The mills purchased by me on behalf of the government, on arrival 
here, were distributed in the following order : — One at Quebec, one at 
Montreal, one at Sherbrooke, one at Kingston, one at Toronto, and ono 
at-London. Until of late, little use has been made of them, as parties 
engaged in this business had supplied themselves with the ordinary kind. 
Of the utility of those mills I have no doubt. There is every reason to 
believe they are calculated to do good work. I saw them tried several 
times in Ireland, and was present at the Sion Mills with several other 
parties when Mr. Herdman certified to their qualities as compared with 
other mills. Being portable and capable of being worked by the horse- 
power of the threshing machine, and not requiring rollers to break the 
flax, they are worthy of a fair trial. This, I fear, they have never had 
as yet in this country. Hemp was dressed on one of them at Kingston 
the year before last, and it was found they answered admirably for that 
purpose. 
To return to the quality of lands best suited for flax, it will be found 
that on the fine, rich, flat lands in the Canada Company's Huron Tract, 
and lands of a similar nature in the counties of Kent, E^sex, and 
Lambton, as well as the St. Clair Flats, flax may be raised to any extent. 
Lands that have been cleared a few years will also give good flax. 
It will be observed that, in all the calculations made, I have only 
shown the prices for the common or ordinary qualities of scutched 
flax. But it must not be forgotten that, with proper attention, and the 
exercise of a skill which it is not difficult to attain, it is quite within 
our reach to produce an article of fibre worth at least fifty per cent. 
more than that which we are producing at the present time. Hence, 
there is great inducement for the farmer to give it every attention in 
his power. No doubt many will soon fall into the method of cultiva- 
tion carried on in Ireland — i.e., pulling before the seed is ripe, by which 
means a finer and more flexible article of fibre is obtained, in conse- 
quence of the oily substance in the stalk not being exhausted in the 
seed, when allowed to ripen. By using a little extra attention and skill 
in the preparation of flax after pulling, an increase of many dollars in 
value may easily be secured. 
Before closing, I would suggest the desirableness of every agricul- 
tural society throughout the province offering liberal prizes for flax- 
growing in their lists for the autumn ; such prizes to be distributed as 
may seem best calculated to encourage the production of this crop. 
County councils, if it be within their province, could not do a more 
praiseworthy act than make a moderate appropriation for the same pur- 
pose. The parties competing for such prizes set the example to others, 
and hence a spirit of emulation is set on foot, as in all other branches 
of agriculture, and we would not only have much larger quantities pro- 
duced, but better qualities. 
VOL. VI. D 
