Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1852-06-01
For ths ENQUIRER.
FOT n 2
TIE FLAX CULTURE

THE FLAX CULTURE.
The improved process preparation and manufacture
Of Flax, which The science OF The distinguished Cius.en
presented TO the world, Is interesting a aercuu
raste.
The great of labor heretofore necessary pulling
the Flax spreading TO The dew or r the watrr breaking
and pairing it for the spinning operation aGdcd The
fact iui the seed had to be sacrificed when the fire
be preservedand The latter be los! when the seed
TO be saSed-made IT, generally an Improbable crop in Vr
gina.
Bv the process the scythe, rapid rcaping
CHI ., becomes the substitute fer human lands the
and t seed equally preserved and the acids Of tho
Chemist separss useless STEMS und ble2ch the FIBRE.
without, impairing lis strengh-and oil is mpisled in
few days. instead of the weeks and months heretofore re-
CURED.
If this be true must be manifest every thinking min
that evol, ion is hand in the culture OF Flax BY Tie
preservation vi the seed the of the material for the
linen is reduced leas, half and the advocates Of the
new plan maintain that linen be furnished cheap
cotton cloth OF Qriiy fine Quality
very large Tclion Of ie open land Of Virginia, with
ordinary cultsa,ion De;her more troublesome nor sspen
bushels of Flax sccd acrc:he market price Of which
would average 81 % ~. bushel.
This equal good wEca. crop. The same lInd would
produce Of strd which, $40 per on the usual
estimate. almost doubles the product
The Agriculurulist reed urll into the calculation
the machine necessary fol separating The fax fibre o
The hurds is rot more slly thu wheat machines
and may be transported from IA 10 farm commission,
if the producer is unwilling to advance the requisite cost
about $3.50.
The seed may be through The ine rapidly as e
wheat crop; and the straw eeu ~ Ids rc the
hurds is baled Ike cottnn for tie market beautiful
article of flax cotton be prepared twelve hours from
the pulling moving Of the flax: BAT IT, bleaching should
be reserved for the manufacturer.
Tho wheat crop, many parts Of Virain has become
precarious from ravages of the hv joint, ogm rIst &c
that may well become farmers 10 look to : rsia
Bile substitute.
l, may be obiected-hat greatly increased fax crop
would reduce the price OF the seed and the fibre.
On the contrary, it is maintained, there is the
re,nn,c probability Of euch esu The demand sr nscrd
81! and oil cake mmense-Eng!and alone importing an
nualiv many millions Of dollars The alter sub
onfI. nd
duciion Of The flax fibre, would cfuTd The only gr1ra
CURED for The establishment OF nunberless manufactures
All that the advocates Of tho chevucr Claussen's plan
ask supply Of the raw material at the above prices
The interior and the board the Valley and Little ennes
sue, when tcir improvements shall afford the of
transportation 10 the great markets OF tho world vie
with each other In the production of the material in
The that the above prices will be realized
One oil sr objection may be nett is generally thought
Of chemical analysis Of the constituents of the plant and by
actual experiments it has been found 'that under judi
cious mode y treatment far far rnm being iruriuu
crop is Of value than other crop in keeping the
land in profitable state OF producvrness and preventing
ito deterioration" Chemistry shows that the fibre of Tho
plant Oxygen hydrogen and carbon being il. principal
stuen,s) is deyvea not from the soa but from the
phere One hundred pounds OF flax fibre he only used
In manufacture OF coh has been found 10 contain only
t,co pounds of mineral mater.
All the residue OF the plG except the oil and cnke may
be returned TO the earth, which hus gains from tho
Atmosphere, than it had contributed In the production
"h Bcale Brown who has devoted the last years
TO the culture ard preparation of fax in the county Of
Gloucester lin Engand) stated, al Iis meeting of the
Royal Agricultural Society, the 26h Fobrun; lsst
that FYar deriving IL di, large portion OF its nur
ment from the atmosphere ras the least estausng crop
that could be put into the ground prased the manure
FROM the seed and refueo retained The land and
only the dax fibre Itself carried C and he had reason
believe that this opinion entertained by oil par
ties connected practically with the cultivation of flax
I" CROP"
In selecting land for flax the 5sst has beer found be
sound, dry, deep loan with clay subsoi 1t should be
properly drained subsoilcd when is saturated with
underground surface wafer good flax cannot he expected
Almost any kind Of soil, Of good moderate qualify, will
produce fax.
So much for the culture of Fsx-ln the manufacture OF
fax cotton after It's preparation has been completed the
existing factories by their eEistng machinery card, spin
and weave il, as they now do cotton wool.
The CHIEF merit of tho Claussen process consists in the
preparation OF the flax either into long short
pIe by the of acids in separating almost instantaneous
y the woody and reRn rlunous from the pure
bre the latter is then freed entirely its color and
readily receives other that may be desabethe shor
supe presenting The appearance OF beautiful white coton
while the long has that of glossy silk.
The asspness the Cluusen patent the United States
are getting up establishments In several of the Northern and
Western States and propose in Virgil
uia "
But, tho pressure your columns al this time, fIbids
nv adding mere TO this hassy artlole. VlRGINlAN.