FLAX A RESTORATIVE; NOT AN EXHAUSTING CROP. [AUTHORITY:...PROFESSOR KANE.]

New Zealander, Volume 1, Issue 39, 28 February 1846, Page 3

FLAX A RESTORATIVE; NOT AN EXHAUSTING CROP. [AUTHORITY:.. .PROFESSOR KANE.]

J. H. DICKSON. 6, De Beauvoir-square, London.

(To the Editor of the Leeds Intelligencer.) Sir,— As there are many eminent houses engaged in Flax Spinning in your town, who would no doubt rejoice to see the Yorkshire farmers assembled in Leeds, with their carts and boat loads of Flax, the produce of their own cultivation, if you will permit me to occupy a column in your journal at this time, with a few observations on the subject, in order to remove prejudice and misapprehension, I shall not again, draw so largely, on your valuable space, at any one time, on the subject. As there are many tales told calculated to prejudice landowners as well as farmers, and prevent experiments in Flax culture being made, I wish now to draw attention to observations and experiments, iv order, to disabuse (if possible), the minds of those farmers, who labour under the delusion (handed down to them by their grandfathers), that Flax not only exhausts the soil, but is ruinous to the producer ; and as 1 think the evidence I now bring forward will be sufficient to satisfy the farmers aud prove the absurdity of such threadbare tales, I must address myself to those" landlords, who prohibit (by the terms of the leases granted), the cultivation of Flax. Surely they 'are moie open to conviction, than to continue to believe mere assertions in preference to fac is proved by expi-riments, and corroborated by the learned Professional men, whose lectures ou agricultural subjects, have earned for them, the thanks of so many Noblemen and Farmers Clubs m the three kingdoms. I cannot believe that there is a landowner in England so contracted in his ideas, as to take advantage of such restriction, being (through downright ignorance of the nature or value of the plant,) in leases against its cultivation. If they consider it a more scourging crop than wheat, (and that I 1 deny it to be), have we not now skilful chemists able to direct us to restore the soil, with the now many available manures, those ingredients of which Fiax may be found to have robbed it! and would not the oil-cake, or what is better, the crushed seed, not only be highly beneficial in the feeding of animals, but is it not acknowledged by all that there is nothing equal to it ab an enricher of the farm yard manure? With these facts before the eyes of the opponents of Flax, I shall now proceed and call their attention to further evidence on the subject. As I cannot expect farmers, to give the subject, of which I am the humble advocate, the consideration that they would do, if the same was placed before them by a man of more influence,—! must therefore, endeavour to support my argument by the observations of men whose efforts in agricultural improvements have done much to advance and connect science with the agriculture of Great Britain. I have already used the names of flax-spinaers, and in order to corroborate my statements, I shall now add that of another, Mr. Crosthwaite, of Dublin, who stands in Ireland, as Messrs. Marshall and Co., do in England, — at the head of the flax-spinning trade, — aud I must couple with this gentleman the name of a professor whose works are acknowledged to be of national importance. The following is a quotation from Dr. Kanes writings:— " Mr. Crosth»vaite, whose intimate acquaintance with all branches of this industry, renders his authority highly valuable, considers that there are about 100,000 acres under Flax in Ireland, 1 aud that the produce is about 30,000 tons, of an average value of £50 per ton. This is about 6s. 3d. per stone, and should give about £12 10s. for the usual produce of the statue acre." " The Flax, when it has grown to a suitable maturity, according as the design is to allow it to ripeu its seeds or not, is pulled, aud either immediately, or in the next spare season, according to the circumstances of the locality, it is subjected to the process of rotting or watering. In the stem of the Flax there may be recognised three structures, — the outer skin or epidermis, covering a close uetwork of fibres which incloses the plant as in a sheath, and in the centre, a stem of dense pithy material. The fibrous net work is connected together by a glutinous matter which must be decomposed before the fibres can be separated from the stem. If the steeping be continued too long, the fibre itself may rot, aud be weakened and injured in quality ; if the steeping be not continued long enough, the fibres are not thoroughly separated from each other, aud the quality of the flax is coarser than it might be." " When the Flax is steeped, the water acquires a darker colour, a disagreeable odour, and it is well known, becomes poisonous to fish. This arises from the solution of the glutinous material which had cemented together the pure fibres." The author of the 'Survey of Somersetshire,' (Mr. Billingsby), says, " Having myself cultivated Flax on a large scale, and observing the almost instantaneous effect produced, some years ago I applied it to some pasture land, by means of watering carts, similar to those used near London, watering the roads, the effect was astonishing, and advanced the land in value 10s. per acre." This extract shows that Professor Kane, has conversed with Flax Spinners, aud has been made acquainted with the details of Flax culture. The following extract ou the same subject is taken from the ' Scottish Farmer,' and as the writer of the article is already partly convinced against his will, I hope fully to convince him that Flax is not an exhauster of the soil. " The landlords of Scotland have hitherto been opposed to the growth of Flax, in consequence of it? being a 'scouring' crop, and in the majority of leases, a clause is introduced, prohibiting or restricting its growth. ProfeiSor Low says, (and all our agricultural authorities agree with him), that Flax is an exhauster of the soil and tarin, aud more so when its seeds are permitted to arrive at maturity. When pulled green its effects are less injurious, in which respect it follows the general law of other cultivated plants. But still, at whatever peiiod reaped, it is thus far an impoverisher of the iarm, that its stems yield no return for manure, and that its seeds only do so when consumed upon the farm. In a paper read by Dr. Kane before the Royal Irish Academy, shat geutlemau attempts to prove, that in the production of the fibre no exhaustion of the soil takes place, that substance being composed exclusively of organic matters derived from vvater and the atmosphere. He sa\s, 'in this respect the fibre differs from the woody stem which its surrounds, as the latter by combustion, yields a considerable quantiiy of ash, consisting of inorganic compounds derived from the soil ; but then, the woody part of the plant is not removed off the farm, it beina, of exceedingly little value-, and however the cultivation of the crop may exhaust the particular part of the farm on which it was grown, by the matters contained in this woody fibre, it is appaient that the iarm itself wrl not thereby be exhausted, as these mutters are ieturned to some other portion of it, iv conjunction perhaps with ihe manure of the farm yard. The proportion of inorganic matter contained in the seeds is very small compared with its entire bulk,

so that the comsumption of the seed on the farm not only makes the Flax a non-exhausting crop, but absolutely a restorative one." If we consider the quantity of seed for consumption on the land, given by the Flax crop, we may well call it a manure producing cfop' y rather than an exltauster'bf the soil. At the montbjy meeting of the Belfast Flax Society, held on the 16th July, the following letter was read by the Secretary, which had been sent by one of its members :— " I am happy to be able to bear my testimony to the fact, that if Flax be judiciously grown, and well handled, there is no other crop that will pay like it. 1 had last season, not quite eight Irish acres of Flax, from which I had 295 stones, which brought Bs. per stone in Cook's town market, aud 31 stones at fa's., besides A\ cwt. scutching tow, at 93. per cvvt: —

being upwards of £\6 per acre: besides this, 1 had an exceedingly large quantity of bolls, which fed my cattle, to the greatest advantage, during the whole season, and as much seed saved on the Courtrai sys • tern, as sowed about 3 acies this year." The seed in the, bolls, it it amounted to an average

And 11 English acres, if it cost .€lOO to bring it to market, would have £129 profit, on what I call a very middling or very light crop of Flax, viz. 30 stone per acre. Now with all deference to Professor Lo\t, I must believe experiments before his assertions ; and I believe that Flax has never got a fair trial in Scotland, to enable him to tell us how much more it exhausts, the soil, thau a crop of Wheat, or to answer this question— How much manure will it take to bring the ground into the s<ur.e condition, after growing Flax, that it would be if it had been sown with Wheat ? It is only in this way that we can come to any thing like a correct idea on the subject , aud as I have said before, I have had as an abundant crop of Oats, and also Clover, after Flax, as ever I had after Wheat or Barley. I challenge the opponents of Flax, to answer this question, and then we can. calculate the expenses of restoration, and the means we liave of doing it, by growing Flax; for accoiding to every calculation I have seen, showing the expense and the profit on Wheat, or any other crop, there is none to be compared to a middling crop of Flax, as the most iemunerating crop for the farmer. And as Jam not confined to the quotation of one, two, or three experiments, in order to prove the fact, I shall give another instance of what may 1 be made by its cultivation. The Rev. G. Ash, Glebe, Il^Uaghy, Ireland, in writing to the Secretary of the Belfast Flax Society, to tell him oi the success of his first experiment says, "I sowed 53 pecks of seed on three acres and three rods of grouud, Irish measure, and I have had 236 stone, of 161bs , or in Armagh market stones., 26fa'f . I have two sacks grown from the same seed saved for my own sowing, and I have two tons of Linseed meal, which saves me purchasing bran, &c." Here is the first experiment, a gentleman uuacquainted with flax growing, sows 13£ bushels of .seed on about five acres English, aud has 26b\ sione, or 53" stone to the acre, two sack* or seed, and two tous of "ieal ; now, as the seed, as is well known, if properly saved, will pay reut and all expenses, we must reckon Mr. Ash, had for his trouble, profit as follows : 26Q\ stoneof Flax, say Bs. per stone, £106 Bs. Od. Aided to this proof of the benefits derivable, I shall quote one more on its advantages, which 1 have taken from the Agricultural Gazette. " Effect of Oil cake on the Manure of Animals fed on #.— A friend of mine has lately adopted a plan, which under the same circumstance';, I should strongly recommend; it is that of givnii.' a small quantity of oilcake to animals grazing, for the sake of improving an ordinary pastu c, and its effects aie astonishing. The pastures I allude to are small, aud one or two bullocks more than they are calculated to carry are put into each ; the lot are then allowed 4lbs. of cake per day per head; this, is a cost or about 2s. per head per week — which, 1 believe, the stuck well paid for—has entirely altered the face of pastures from what they were three years ago, when the plan was first adopted by him; and I believe, without any loss to himself."— G. Dobito ; English AgricullunU Society's Journal. I could, if necessary, multiply evidence,— however as I consider, I have now placed facts undeniable before you, 1 will conclude my remarks by a quotation trom a letter from James MAdam, Esq., Secretary to the Belfast Society, ou the 18th December, he says : ♦< As a proof of the great deman-i for Flax at present, I may mention, that from this port, orders are now out for 300 lons of Flax from Egypt, and lor 2000 to 3000 tuns, value £70,000 to £100,000, from the Baltic ; aud this, in spite of the largest homegrown crop for several years. These have been lately ci ectcd in this neighbourhood, «0,000 additional spindles, which will be at full work during the ensuing year, aud which it is calculated will ouMime 3000 tous additional of Flax yearly." If this be not proof sufficient to satisfy far > er* and landowners of the inipor auue of Flax cultivation, I can only say they require such men a* the learned. Piofessor Kane to go amongst them. I am, Sir, your's respectfully,

Discovery of an Ancient Bible.— A copy of the first complete edition of the Knglish Bible, printed by M)les Coverdale, bearing the date of 1535, was accideutly discoveied.a few days since, in the false bottom of an old oak chest, at Holkham hall, Norfolk, the seat of the Earl of Leicester. There ai c numerous imperfect copies of this edition of the Holy Scriptures in existence, two being deposited in the Library of the British Museum, one in the Bodleiau Librarj,one in the Cambiibge Univeisity Libiarvh-in fact, many uf our great libraries and public institutions, and man) private collections, possess imperfect copies, but tne volume just discovered is in ever> respect perfect. The noble proprietor of Holkham has had the book appropriately bound, and enclosed in an oaken box, and it now giaoes the shelves of his maguiliceijt library.

Norfolk crop, would be equal atl io that 1 may add to the least to 319 bustic £. s/'d. 129 6 6 .eU, The value of 319 bushels of seed, at fas. 3d. per bushel 99 13 9 £229 0 3

:95 stones, at Bs. . 31 stones, at 6s. • 4f cwt. tow, at 9s. £. s. d. , 118 0 0 9 6 0 2 0 6 £129 6 6