its cultivation becomes an object of great national ́importance. The application of the same skill and care in the cultivation and preparation of flax, that the people of the Continent bestow upon it, would enable Ireland not only to supply her own manufactures, but to export largely to England and Scotland.

The best soil for flax, is a friable loam-neither clayey nor gravelly, and such as is easily worked. Soil enriched by much manure causes the flax to grow toò strong, and come coarse from the hackle. Good crops are often raised from peat or mossy ground, when a little clay is mixed, and on a clay bottom. Flax of the best quality is grown after oats, from clover or pasture lea, if the ground has been laid down in good heart. Sometimes, good crops are got from stubble, after potatoes; but it is never desirable to sow flax after potatoes or turnips, when the ground has had a full quantity of

manure.

In preparing the ground, be careful to have it deep, fine, and clear of weeds. This can only be done by ploughing twice before or during winter, harrowing effectually between the ploughing, to expose the root weeds to the frost, then ploughing and harrowing in spring, a few weeks before sowing, so that the seed weeds will have time to braird, and be destroyed by the final preparation for the crop.

Previous to the last harrowing and cleaning, if the Kirkwood grubber be put through the ground, it will be found most useful in pulverising the soil, and bringing all root weeds to the surface; it is not an expensive article, and one horse can draw it through flax ground that has been properly ploughed. Any lump of earth or stones, that the straight pins of the common harrow may have passed over, the long, curved teeth of the grubber will bring to the surface, while the fine mould fills their place. This is a useful implement in all cases, and particularly in preparing for flax, where the soil cannot be too fine,

If the ground be stiff, the roller should be used after the harrow and grubber, to break the lumps; then, before sowing, use the small seed harrow, or one that has short, close pins, to level the surface. After sowing,

a double turn of the seed harrow will give sufficient covering-then roll. If the ground is not naturally dry, a water furrow will be necessary. The Dutch sow thickly, by which means they have fine flax; and the stalks bearing only a few pods, or bows, the seed is all equally ripe; whereas, when thinly sown, the flax is coarse, having branchy tops, with seed unequally ripe.

Too much pains cannot be taken in weeding. This is one great cause of the superiority of the Dutch and Belgian flax; not a weed, large or small, is there ever allowed to remain, and the crop pays well for all the labour bestowed upon it. Weeding should be done when the plant rises about three inches. The weeders will often press it down by sitting to weed; but they should take care not to twist or swirl it, or flatten it different ways, as that cracks the young stalk, which seldom recovers, while, by merely pressing it one way, it will soon start up again.

The time for pulling is, when about two-thirds of the stalk turns yellow, and loses the leaves. By pulling green, the dressed flax appears finer, but it is weaker, and deficient in weight. When any of the crop is lying, it should be pulled and kept by itself; and care should be taken to sort and keep the long, middling, and short, separate. This is particularly attended to on the Continent, and is a means of enhancing the value to the spinner, and consequently to the grower, who will be well paid for the extra trouble. Flax should never be pulled when it is wet; and it should lie two or three days in handfuls, or small sheaves, spread broadstrap, before steeping; and the sheaves should be tied very loose.

Watering should be done with soft water. The best way is, to fill the hole from a river or stream, then stop the run, and steep as soon as you please: but, if you can only get spring or hard water, fill the hole a week before steeping, that the sun and air may warm and soften it. Never let in any fresh water, unless to supply leakage, which should be carefully guarded against. The Dutch set the flax nearly upright in the water, with the tops down; they cover with mud, and, in some places, with boards, in frame-work, to keep out the light. Thin sods, or scraws, might be used in this

country, or flat stones, where they can be had. Clean straw might answer the purpose, if pressed down with sods or stones; and the straw would afterwards form excellent manure, when saturated with the flax water.

Every grower of flax should know when it is properly watered, this being most important in the management of the crop. Directions on this point can hardly be given, as the time necessary varies according to the nature of the water, the state of the weather, and the ripeness of the plant when pulled. The time varies from six or seven, to twelve or fourteen days; and the medium may be near the proportion in ordinary cases. Wash the flax in clean water, coming out of the hole, this gives a uniformity of colour.

It may be noticed here, that every barrel of water, from a stagnant lint-hole, is equal in value to a cartload of farm-yard manure, for top-dressing. The flaxwater should therefore be carefully preserved for the land, and not a drop of it should be allowed to run to waste.

With respect to grassing, close-cropped old pasture, or new-mown meadow, is the best spread ground; if spread on the ground where the flax was grown, all weeds and grasses should be first mown off. Every flax-grower knows when it is fit for lifting, which must be done on a dry day. If at all damp, leave it to dry in large beets, or sheaves, gaited, and the drier it is the better. There is much loss in the mill when the flax is not perfectly dry; the damp tough shoves_carry away the lint in handfuls from the scutchers. If not taken soon to the mill, it is improved by putting it into small stacks, loosely built, with bramble or stones at the bottom, to let the air circulate.

Milling and hand-scutching, is the department in which our flax-growers are far behind the people of the Continent. Irish-grown flax, prepared by the Dutch, has been found equal to any grown in Holland. The Dutch generally hand-scutch it, and find this the best mode; while the hand-scutched in the Irish market rates below the mill-scutched. Perhaps one cause of this is the Irish mode of drying it with turf fires, on small temporary kilns, made of sods and wattles, where it is liable to be scorched and browned, so as to discolour the

flax, and also to render it hard and hasky, from the hackle. To remedy this, as the climate is generally too damp to dry it thoroughly in the open air, there might be drying-houses erected in the flax-growing districts, so constructed that large quantities could be dried by steam or heated air. The owners of flax-mills might find a large drying-house a profitable appendage; and where steam-engines are in use, drying-houses might be cheaply heated. Common corn kilns might also dry a little at a time, when not otherwise employed.

Much care must be taken in rolling the flax. It should go through different sets of rollers, of varied dimensions in the grooves, from large to small, so that the shove or woody part will be minutely broken, which will make it more easily scutched, and less liable to be slaved or wasted, as it is the long unbroken shoves that tear away the flax. With additional rolling, the scutchers may be made lighter than those in common use, and more numerous on the shaft. By these means, a larger produce, and a superior article to that obtained by the usual mode of milling, may be expected. The same care should be taken in breaking or crigging the flax, for hand-scutching.

The saving of the seed is also an important consideration. On the Continent, the growers have both good flax and good seed from the same crop. Their general practice is to dry the flax in the field, like grain, and stack it, till the following spring. This might also be done in Ireland; but in general our farmers are too eager to get their crop to market, and thus they lose the seed.

Whether the flax be pulled rather green, or nearly ripe, it should be rippled; it is much easier handled in watering and spreading. If rippled when unripe, the bows may be dried on a kiln, and ground in the corn-mill, husks and seed together. This is superior to bran, for feeding cows and horses, and is worth from two to five *pounds an acre.

If saved for the oil-mill, the seed ought to be nearly ripe; and this may be permitted, without injury to the fibre-the Dutch say, with advantage. The bows should be win, as well as the weather will permit; a slight

drying on the kiln will not injure the seed materially for the crushing, while it will be easily shelled, by putting it through the shelling-mill, with the stones a little wider than in shelling oats. The weaks or drawings may be re-dried and ground for feeding.

If intended for seed, and for the market, the crop should be ripe, or nearly so; dried for a few days in small handfuls, laid across; or in small sheaves, broad strap. When the bows are dry, a very good way of preserving them is, to place them, layer about, with very dry straw, loosely stacked, until spring; then to be crigged or threshed out, always preserving the chaff, which contains much nutriment for the cattle.

Whether the seed be ripe or unripe,' it is a shameful waste to allow it to rot in the lint-holes, as is now the practice, when it is capable of forming such valuable feeding for cattle. There is no other food superior to it, for milk, butter, and fattening: but it ought always to be ground, and with the husk, as the seed alone is apt to be too purgative. If given to cattle unground, a portion is undigested; and even when boiled whole, it is not all masticated by the animal; and, of course, the mealy part is then lost, which is not the case when it is ground.

CULTIVATION OF TURNIPS.

Before the introduction of turnips as a field crop, it was difficult to manage light soils to advantage, for they were soon exhausted by the repeated production of corn; and as no regular rotation of green crops was then known, the land thus exhausted was necessarily thrown into pasture to recruit.

The light soils of Ireland, under the present system of farming, are comparatively of little value; but if turnips were cultivated, it would be far otherwise. The soil of Norfolk is naturally as light as many parts of this country; but turnip husbandry, in regular rotation, has rendered it highly fertile; while the neglect of this in Ireland, leaves the land in many cases unprofitable.

Turnips delight in a loose soil, in which they can be raised to the greatest perfection, and with the least