194 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
other farrow is then turned in upon the roots 
of the first row and a second row placed in the 
new furrow. The same process is repeated till 
the whole width of the plot is filled up. The 
plow is then run upon both sides, turning the 
earth inwards to form side banks. Crotched 
sticks or limbs, or boards with a notch in the 
top, are then placed at intervals through the 
middle of the bed, which support rails laid as a 
ridge-pole, about two feet above the cabbages. 
Boards or light brushwood are then placed 
upon each side supported by the ridge-pole and 
side banks, and these are covered with straw, 
salt hay, or bog hay, and a final coating of earth 
well compacted and smoothed with a shovel so 
as to shed off rain. More soil may be put on 
as cold weather advances. The ends are cov¬ 
ered in the same manner as the sides, with the 
exception that holes a foot or so in diameter 
are left, which are stuffed with straw or hay 
that may be removed when desired. These holes 
are left open except during freezing nights and 
the colder days. Put up in this manner, the 
the heads will continue to increase in size and 
solidity during the entire winter, and in the 
spring they will be found to have greatly in¬ 
creased in value. 
NEW-YORK HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
An adjourned meeting of this Society was 
held at the rooms, No. 600 Broadway, on Mon¬ 
day evening, Nov. 28th, to receive the report of 
the committee appointed to nominate officers 
for the ensuing year. 
Mr. J. Groshon, one of the vice-presidents in 
the chair. 
The Secretary having read the minutes of the 
last meeting, they were approved, after which 
the chairman of the nominating committee pre¬ 
sented a list of ollicers for tne ensuing year. 
On motion that the report of the committee 
be adopted, a few alterations were proposed. 
Mr. Thomas Hogg, Jr., would rather decline 
serving another year as chairman of the Fruit 
Committee. He did not complain of the duties 
being arduous, but as chairman of that com¬ 
mittee, he would be required to assist in making 
up a premium list, and knowing that the last 
one did not give entire satisfaction, he was dis¬ 
posed to let some others, who believed important 
changes necessary, have an opportunity of 
amending it; several private considerations 
also induced him to decline, and he proposed 
that the list be referred back to the committee 
for reconsideration. Mr. W. Cranstoun also 
declined serving. The list was referred back, 
and was amended by the substitution of Mr. 
Chas. More, for Mr. Tuos. Hogg, Jr., as chair¬ 
man of the committee, Mr. Hogg having agreed 
to continue on the committee as amended. Mr. 
J. Suttle was substituted for W. Cranstoun, on 
the committee on Vegetables; the list was then 
accepted to be balloted for on the 5th of Decem¬ 
ber. 
Mr. P. B. Mead said he had the pleasure of 
informing the members present that the Com¬ 
mittee on Debates or Conversational Meetings, 
had completed the necessary arrangements, and 
that on the second Monday of December, the first 
of these meetings will be held, when the im¬ 
portance of such meetings will be briefly stated, 
after which the subject of the selection of fruits 
for cultivation will be considered, and the culti¬ 
vation of roses in pots debated. These are 
matters which are familiar to many of the mem¬ 
bers who are expected to attend, and it is hoped 
they will speak upon them. By such meetings 
as these, additional interest will be given to the 
proceedings of the Society. 
The meeting adjourned to meet on Monday, 
December 5th, when the annual election of offi¬ 
cers will take place. 
- 0-9-t - 
FLAX 
Continued from page 181. 
As soon as the process of rippling has been 
gone through, that of watering should be 
immediately attended to. This requires the 
greatest attention. The steeping-pond should 
be from 12 to 18 feet broad, and to 4 feet 
deep. River water is the best. Spring should 
never be used if it can be avoided; but if used, 
it should be allowed to remain in the pond for 
some months, in order that it may be softened. 
Rain water, if collected, as it might easily be 
done, as being the softest and purest to be 
obtained, would, we think, be highly valuable 
for flax-steeping. Water containing minerals 
should not be used. The flax should be placed 
loosely in the pool, in one layer, somewhat 
sloping, the root ends underneath, in regular 
rows. The tie of each sheaf should reach the 
roots of the previous ones. The plants thus 
laid are to be covered with moss sods, or tough 
old lea sods, the ends to be fitted to each other. 
If the ponds are new, a layer of rushes or rag¬ 
weed is recommended to be placed on the flax 
before the sods. Where sods cannot be obtained, 
a covering of straw may be used, the flax being- 
kept under water by stones laid on the straw, 
and the weight of these increased as the 
fermentation progresses; as soon as this ceases, 
the stones to be removed, in order to prevent 
the flax being sunk too deep. The color has 
been found improved where a small stream of 
water has been allowed to pass through the 
pond. If this is done where the pools are in a 
line, the stream should be conducted along one 
side, and run into each pool separately, the 
water being run off on the other side in the 
same manner. Flax is generally much more 
under than over watered. As a few hours too 
much may injure the quality of the fibre, care 
should be taken to ascertain when the flax has 
had sufficient watering. From eight to fourteen 
days will suffice, but much depends on the state 
of the weather and the quality of the water. 
The following is the best test: “ Try some stalks 
of average thickness, by breaking the shove or 
woody part in two places, about 6 or 8 inches 
apart, at the middle of the stalk; catch the 
broken bit of wood, and if it will pull freely 
out, downwards, for that length icithout brealc- 
ing or tearing the fibre adhering to it, it is 
ready to take out.” This trial should be made 
every six hours, as the change is sometimes very 
rapid. The flax, in being removed from the 
pond, should be carefully lifted out by men stand¬ 
ing in the pool, forks or graips never used. It 
is advantageous to place the flax in small heaps 
(large ones should be avoided, as heating may 
be induced on their root ends) and allow them 
to drain for twelve or twenty-four hours. 
In spreading the wetted flax, clean, thick, 
short pasture-grass should be selected for the 
process. All weeds that render the surface 
uneven should be mowed down. The flax should 
be spread evenly and thin. While on the grass, 
turn the layers (with a rod about 8 feet long and 
lA-inch diameter) two or three times, so as to 
allow the sun to act equally on all parts. This 
prevents unequal shades. When rain is in 
prospect, turn the flax, that it may be beaten 
down and prevented from blowing away. 
In six or eight days in showery, and ten or 
twelve in dry weather, the flax will be ready for 
lifting. If ready, by rubbing a few stalks from 
top to bottom the wood breaks easily, separating 
from the fibre, leaving it sound. Another 
evidence is the formation of a “ bow and string,” 
from the fibre contracting and separating from 
the wood. The most certain test, however, is 
by laying a small quantity in the hand-break or 
the flax-mill. In lifting, the lengths should be 
kept straight and the ends even. If this is not 
attended to, great loss will be incurred in the 
breaking and scutching. After the flax has 
been set up to dry for a few hours, it should be 
tied up in small bundles, and if not immediately 
scutched, put up in small stacks, these resting 
on stones or brambles, to admit of a free circu¬ 
lation of air. This improves the quality much. 
Stacks built on pillars are recommended as the 
best. “ Drying by fire,” says the Society’s 
Report, “is most pernicious. If properly 
steeped and ground, no such drying is necessary; 
but to make it ready for breaking and scutching, 
exposure to the sun is sufficient. In some dis¬ 
tricts it is put to dry in Mins, in a damp state, 
and it is absolutely burned before it is dry, and 
the rich oily appearance of the flax greatly 
impaired. On this point the Society cannot 
speak too strongly, as the flax is either destroyed 
or rendered not worth one-half of what it would 
be if properly dried.” 
In breaking and scutching by hand, the 
Belgian system should be employed. When the 
flax is sent to mills, those should be selected in 
which improved machinery is used. The Society 
recommends farmers to send the flax to mills in 
which the men are paid by the day, in place of 
by the stone, even if it should cost them higher 
in proportion. The system of time-wages is 
found to cause the men to be anxious to produce 
a large amount of flax fibre rather than a good 
yield from the straw. 
Our readers are probably aware that the pro¬ 
cess of rotting and steeping in ponds is now 
likely to be superseded by more certain and 
rapid processes. There seems to be a consider¬ 
able lack of that forethought and businesslike 
method so observable in other branches of 
agriculture, in connection with the preparation 
of flax. In other departments, means are 
adopted by which the produce is rapidly and 
with certainty prepared for market; not so with 
flax, as generally prepared; the grower has to 
see certain processes performed, which, critical 
in their nature, and uncertain in their effects, 
and involving changes requiring a chemical 
knowlegdc, entail upon him an amount of labor 
and responsibility with which it were better if 
he was not burdened. Indeed, it seems to be 
pretty generally agreed upon, that if some 
method could be introduced, which certainly 
and economically could supersede the present 
tedious processes, a very considerable impetus 
would be given to the cultivation of flax. Hence 
has arisen the movement by which patent steep¬ 
ing manufactories are being established through¬ 
out Ireland. The patent process of Schenk, by 
which the flax is treated in water maintained 
at a high temperature, has been much intro¬ 
duced into Ireland, principally through the 
exertions of the Royal Flax Society. There are 
now eighteen establishments in Ireland, capable 
of preparing the produce of 7000 acres of flax 
annually—in England five, in Scotland two, in 
Germany three, and in France one. The impu¬ 
rities arising from the decomposed gum being 
much objected to by spinners, in flax treated by 
this process, a plan of passing the wet straw 
through rollers has been tried with marked 
success; this plan was borrowed from Watt’s 
patent process, a short description of which we 
here give. This process is the most recently 
introduced, and promises to be exceedingly 
successful. “The flax straw,” says the Report 
of the Committee of the Royal Flax Society 
appointed to examine into the process, “ is de¬ 
livered at the works by the grower in a dry state, 
with the seed on. The seed is separated by 
metal rollers, and afterwards cleaned by fanners. 
The straw is then placed in close chambers, 
with the exception of two doors, which serve 
the purpose of putting in and discharging the 
straw; the top, which is of cast-iron, serves the 
double purpose of a top and condenser.” The 
case is provided with a perforated false iron 
bottom, on which the flax is laid, and the steam 
