The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-02-28
The FAX Culture.

is resented by the Confederate Government.
s.. O m.s
The Flax Culture.
It is time that the attention Of our agricultural
population we're more fully turned to the cult.
walton of fax than it appears to have yet been.
That article now sells at fully one hundred per
cent above what It commanded twelve months
ago. There can be 20 doubt that extraordinary
prices will prevail for some years to come, fit
Admit that the three millions Of bales alleged to
be stored up at the South, were available, the
market for dry goods has been 30 depleted Of
late that the whole could be manufactured with.
in six months, and the fabrics made from it be
disposed of at fair prices. After this, the pros
pect is not "the deluge," but q further drought.
The South produced only about one million bales
last year, and will probably grow less during
that on which We have entered, SO utterly disor.
ganized is its labor and 90 urgent is the demand
for bread to sustain its population. Next to the
great necessaries of life among ourselves, may
be justly placed such products 40 FAX and wool,
Of which we cannot possibly have surplus, and
are likely to have great deficiency.
sehseless prejudice has more to do in de.
terring our farmers from cultivating fax than
any other cause that we are aware Of. 1t has
been alleged that it is too exhaustive on the
soil, but there is no reason to condemn it any
more than an ordinary grain crop If fax be
one Of . series of rotation crops, and succeed
one Of vegetables, like potatoes, turnips, &C.,
and be followed by clover, which may be sown
with it, no detrimental effects to the soil will
be observable. The labor or dissgreeableness
Of preparing it for market are also grounds Of
year from the application Of improved ma.
chinery. Even the old plan pursued in ireland
and Belgium, the cost Of bringing certain value
to market was little if anything in excess Of .
crop of grain. The plant requires no attention
after the seed has been put in moderately
rich, friable and loamy soil, until pulling time.
To pull it is neither laborious nor disagreea-
BILE, the principal matter which requires atten-
ton being to have the root ends in the bundles
uniform. The next step is to imm erse it in 9
pond where it can be well kept below the sur
face by means Of logs, stones, Sc. the bundles
having at first q very buoyant tendency. The
water should be soft, not q running stream,
nor yet altogether stsgnant. Here is the most
unpleasant part Of the performance. The odor
arising from the pond is disgusting for two or
three days, and if fishes exist therein they are
certain to die. sfo .5s ...
The next process is Tor was) to take the rot
ted fax out of the water and spread it on the
ground to dry. On the average, ten days for
each of these operations will suffice. The pith
being by this time easily separated from the
outside fibre, nothing remains but to take up
and rebind it for the mill, where it is cleaned.
Altogether not more than four weeks are usually
required from the time when fax s pulled un-
til it is ready for manufacturing purposes. We
have referred to these matters a little more in
detail, as an impression seems to prevail among
fou,, hat he o1a hafn
the crop can be turned into money. The inven.
tions lately brought before the public are known
to effect still further saving of time aid labor,
70 say nothing of the unpleasant part of the
process. astaBg g.. l.3
Our present situation as people is such that
we must return to the wearing of both coarse
and fine linen and he vii, be public benefac.
tor who shall undertake to make two plants of
fax grow where one grew before. We have
abundance of soils admirably adapted to the
culture of this ancient and almost forgotten
product. We have many thousands among us
who are familiar with every detail of the labor
required We have inventive genins. We
have an extraordinary demand from the paper
mills, which can absorb every pound that will
be raised for years to come. fhe seed is highly
valuable as food and fertilizer. Let our ag-
riculturists, then, apply themselves 60 as to be
able to plant an unusual breadth of fax in the
ensuing spring, in the full assurance Of pocket
ing amply renumesative prices, should the sea-
son be ordinarily propitious. 81
DECISION IN REaARD TO STAINING AcKSowL.
EDGNENrs AND AFFIDAvIrs The following let
ter was received by Commissioner P. A. Hoyne,
of Chicago, in reply to letter written by him
to the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, ask
ing whether the jurats attached to afidavits
pertaining to causes pending in the courts and
Acknowledgements to deeds required stamp, and
also whether deeds, the consideration Of which
is under 800, require stamp. There has been
some doubt upon the question, and We think this
cities the question: ,,os RI ".,-ffr-r.
Z ''s' ss'h TREAsURY DEPARTMENT.
z5odH OsyICE OF INrHRNAL REvYNuI,S
55g53 WAsHNeroH, Feb. 10, 1868.
Sin: 10 reply to yours Of February 10th, I
would state that neither Acknowledgements or All.
davits require to be stamped.
A certificate of the official character Of an acs
knovledpiup Officer, when affixed to an acknowl.
mept should be stamped with ten cent certif-
cate stamp. ,..as... 49,.
A deed for property, the actual value of
which is less than one hundred dollars, does not
require Q revenue stamp.
9. +. EsTEE,
For Commissioner of Internal Revenue.
To PHILIP A. HoYEE, Esq,
Notary and Commissioner, Chicago, Ill
An EXTRAORDINARY MARcH.-Col. Wyndham,
commanding cavalry brigade at Fairfax Court
house, in his recent reconnaissance to the Rap.