C 185 ■} 
DESCRIPTION 
OF A LATE DISEASE IN FLAX, ON LONG-ISLAND. 
% £ZRA UHOMMEDIFM, Vice-jxreddcnt of the Society. 
J^\.BOUT four years ago the flax in Bridgehamp- 
ton and part of Southampton, in the county of Suf¬ 
folk, was said to be struck with a mildew ; the next 
year the flax was more injured, and the disorder ex¬ 
tended at the distance of eight or ten miles ; it has 
since extended all over the eastern part of the 
county, so that there is but very little flax raised.— 
Since I have been in this city, I am informed by 
persons from Richmond and Pittsfield, towns in 
Massachusetts, that last year the same disorder 
appeared among their flax. It is very extraordi¬ 
nary, that you cannot observe any injury done to 
the flax while it is yet green ; but as soon as the 
stalk becomes dry, you see a small black speck, 
about the bigness of a pin’s head, a little above the 
middle of the stalk; and in some instances, a small 
black streak of about half an inch or more, pro¬ 
ceeding from the black speck. When ' the fia^t 
comes to the crackle or brake, all the stalks which 
have those black specks break off* and become use¬ 
less. I am fully of opinion that this disorder is no 
mildew, as has generally been supposed, but occa¬ 
sioned by some insect not yet discovered, it 
would be very extraordinary, that a mildew should 
strike the stalk of the flax only in one or two points 
