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Leader (1850-1860), 15th May 1852, Edition Town of 2, Page 468, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      propf , by more detailed information , gathered from the best sources , that the profits assumed by Mr . Warnes have not been in the least degree exaggerated , although we do riot expect that tenant-farmers in general have cither the means or the intelligence necessary for the practice of that gentleman ' s refinements in agriculture . A statute acre of , land will yield , according to the season , from 2 \ to 3 . | , or even 4 , tons of flax straw , with the seed included . If we estimate the average yield at 3 tons , the produce may be divided nearly as follows :- — Tons . cvrt . Twenty bushels of linseed , weighing about . 0 10 Husks and capsules of seeds , say .... 0 10 jflax straw ......... ... 2 0 Total . 3 0 The expense attending the mere cultivation and harvesting of this crop may be stated to be , in round numbers , 61 . Is . per acre ; viz . Two p loughings , at 10 s . , . . . . . . £ 1 0 0 Clearing the land , harrowing , sowing , and rolling 060 Two and a-half bushels of seed , at 8 s . .. 100 Weeding 050 Pulling , turning , binding , carting , and stacking . . . .. . ..... 100 Dippling and cleaning seed . . . . . 1 0 0 Bent , rates , and taxes , say 1 10 0 £ 6 10 Produce . "Value of 20 bushels of linseed , at Is . . . £ ? 00 lOcwt . husks , &c , " equal to hay" . . . 1 10 0 Two tons flax straw , worth , without further preparation .... 600 £ te 10 0 Deduct expenses ... . 610 Gross profit . .. . £ 8 9 0 from which the expenses of marketing alone remain to be deducted . J 3 ut by pursuing this course of management , however Suitable to the careless farmer , we are losing sight of the principle we laid down in our previous paper on this subject , " that no process should be adopted , but such as will enable the farmer to preserve on his farm the greatest possible amount of constituents derived directly from the soil / ' Accordingly , we are bound to suggest some other course in the preparation and disposal of the flax crop ; and it is fortunate that we have to deal with a product which , unlike turnips or wheat , amply repays the cost of additional labour in its manipulation . It has been proved , by repeated experiments , that , under the slovenly and wasteful processes adopted by the Irish peasantry , of steeping flax straw in pits , the average yield of fibre is one-eighth the weight of the straw . The return , therefore , from two tons of straw will be five cwt . of fibre , worth , probably , 45 * . per cwt . ; and about one cwt . of tow . The farmer's account of profit , by pursuing this system , would stand thusviz .: — Value of seed , as before , £ 700 Husks , ditto 1 10 0 1 cwt . tow 10 0 5 cwt . flax fibro 11 5 0 £ 20 15 0 Deduct expenses , as beforo . . £ 6 1 0 „ steeping , drying , and " scutching" .... A 0 O b — 10 1 0 Gross profit £ 10 14 0 Still this course of management , however sanctioned by usage , does not seem calculated to fulfil our imperative conditions as to the exhaustion of the soil . Several considerations induce tho belief that the wastefulness of this method of preparation is but ill repaid by the result as to price . Much experience is required to enable tho farmer to determine the preciso moment when tho flax should bo lifted from tho steeping-pits ; an hour more or loss , or a suddon change in temperature , seriously affecting tho whole batch . Tho con-Htruction and management of theso receptacles , too , is a matter demanding a knowledgo of tho peculiarities of tho plant not generally possessed by English farmers . Tho bulk of water , again , requisite for the steeping of flax in tho straw renders it a' matter of some difficulty nnd expense to return to tho land tho constituents hold in solution in tho pits ; and the rofuno or ohafF extracted in the process of " scutching , " or separating the fibre from tho straw , is entiroly deprived of tho qualities which would otherwise render it n very proper material wherewith to mix tho various linseed nnd other compounds so usefully cmp loyod in fattening cattle . Tho advocates of what in termed tho " dry process " of extraction of tho flax flbro have proved most satisfactorily that the average yield of fibre , in place of being l-8 th , is at least l-4 th in . relation to tho straw

      operated on , and in some favourable cases it has even reached l-3 rd . By this process the whole of the woody portion of the plant is separated , leaving only the flax and the gummy matter by which the fibres adhere to each other . It has been asserted , that flax in . this condition is available for the manufacture . of coarse articles , and a price as high as 66 ? . per ton has been , affixed to it by some London brokers . Until further experiments shall have proved that flax so prepared is not liable to fermentation when subjected to a damp atmosphere , we must refrain from recommending our readers to adopt this plan in its integrity . Thus much , however , may be advanced in its favour , and it is quite sufficient to entitle it to consideration and the inventor to great credit : we allude to the enormous reduction in bulky

      and to the consequent facility in preparing the fibre for market , with the not least advantages of its leaving the chaff in a fit condition for mixing with cattle compounds , and the enabling the grower to steep the flax in vessels of such convenient dimensions as to permit him to return the steep water to his manure yard , and thus maintain the fertility of the sbil . Several machines are now being constructed on improved prin ^ - ciples , and it is stated that the cost of one capable of working up such a quantity of flax as may be grown by a small farmer does not exceed 107 . A great advantage seems to us to be , that one of the hest of these implements may be readily worked by children . We shall draw the attention of our readers to this subject in good time to enable them to take advantage of these inventions in the preparing the crop of the present

      year . Assuming the return by this process to be 1-4 th in relation to the straw , there will remain to the fanner 1 % tons of chaffand 10 cwt . of flax , from which the gummy matter alone has to be separated to render it fit for the spinner . It has been found that the best steeped flax loses , in boiling , about l-16 th of its weight : this loss consisting of such particles of gum as were not completely separated in the steeping process , and of sundry impurities acquired in the steep water . On the other hand , unsteeped flax , on being boiled for an equal space of time and in the same' quantity of water , is found to lose as much as one-eighth of its original weight . This loss consists entirely of the resinous naatterTand the flax is then found to be a white fibre of superior

      strength , totally free from the spots and impurities which are so often found in steeped flax , and which require the application of strong bleaching liquids to restore it , at a great sacrifice of strength , to the colour imparted by nature to this valuable fibre . The comparative results , therefore , from two tons of straw treated by these processes respectively , appear to be nearly as follows , viz . ;— - Cwt . qrs . lb . Common steeping—Produce per acre , one-eighth of two tons straw 600 less loss in boiling , l-16 fch ...... 0 1 7 Nott produce . . 4 2 21 Dry process— Cwt . qrs . lb . Produce per acre , one-fourth of two tons straw ..... 10 0 0 Less loss in boiling , one-eighth . 110 8 3 0 Difference in favour of dry process ... 4 0 7 Strange as this result may appear to persons wedded to tho moro antiquated modes of preparation , it is strongl y confirmed by tho results of the Chevalier Clausscn ' a experiments in producing from flax what ho terms " British cotton , " since ho requires at most five tons of flax straw to produce one ton of the " cotton ;" or , from tho two tons of straw selected for those remarks , M . Clausson would obtain eight cwt . of a material ho fine and free from extraneous matter as to enable a manufacturer to spin it on tho existing cotton machinery . The farmer ' s profits undor tho latter system may be not unfairly stated as follows , vh .: — £ s . d . 8 cwt . flax , worth at least 46 J . per ton . . 18 0 0 1 owfc . of tow 100 10 cwfc . of husks , &o 1 10 0 Valuo of seed as boforo 7 0 0 1 £ tons of chaff half tho value of wheat straw 0 15 0 £ 28 5 0 Doduot exponsofl of cultivation as boforo .. 010 J 3 roaking , stooping , hackling , &o ., eay 8 0 0 14 1 0 Gross profit per aero . . £ 14 t 4 i 0 Skilful manipulation of tho flbre will determine tho valuo , which may bo increased to 1202 . per ton , but as wo dosiro to treat this as a purely agricultural question , wo do not adviso the small fanner to encroach on the province of the manufacturer , who will bo perfectly content to receive in any shapo a quantity of flax flbro

      freed from all impurities , and requiring little or ir bleaching . ° To this portion of our subject we may advert in future remarks on the management of the flax cron Our limits this week only permit us to add the useful recommendation of the Royal Irish Flax Society iind the head x ? f . « Weeding , " which forms the exclusive business of the grower at this season of the year . " If care has been paidto cleaning the seed and the soil

      , few weeds will appear ; but if there be any , thev must be carefully pulled . It is done in Belgium bv women and children * who , with coarse cloths round their kneesy creep along on all-fours . This injures the young plant less than walking over it ( which , if done should be by persons whose shoes are not filled with nails ) . They should work also facing the wind ^ so that the plants laid flat by the pressure may be blown up again , or thus be assisted to regain their upri ght position . The tender plant , pressed one way , soon

      recovers ; but if twisted or flattened by careless weeders it seldom rises again . " We may add that the crop should be at least six inches high before this operation is performed , and that one effective weeding ought to suffice .

      Untitled Article

      Patagonia and St . Giles ' s . In commenting on the enterprise of the Patagonian missionaries , last week , we expressed our belief that these men would have equally shown their philanthropy , if called upon to do so , among the heathen in St . Giles ' s . With regard to one of them , at least , our surmise of what would have been done , turns out to be but a statement of the fact of what was done . ,

      "One of these missionaries , " we learn from a private source , " wrote a very forcible little tract , and printed it at his own expense , though labouring in humble life for his daily bread , and circulated it among his poor relations , friends , and neighbours in his native parish . He laboured several years in metropolitan Suitday schools , and in the office of the London City Mission , andj whilst offering himself for labour in . the City , was , by the Secretary , advised to tenderhis services to Captain Gardiner . —This man was John JUaidmmt "

      Whoever has read the account of the sufferings of the missionaries , must have been struck with the conduct of this Mr . Maidment , the catechist . When hardly able to move about himself , this devoted man waited on Captain Gardiner , with a faithfulness quite touching , and exhibiting a disposition in . which one hardly knows which most to admire—the purely human loyalty to a friend and superior , or the more specific zeal with which he died for his faith .

      Untitled Article

      COIXIEBY EXPLOSIONS . Two more fatal explosions in collieries , destroying sixtyfour lives in one case , and twenty-seven in the other . It would seem that these explosions happen in batches j a fact which suggests the idea that atmospheric conditions are a predisposing cause . Foul water bubbles before bad weather , the diminished pressure inviting the escape of gases . Should such a cause operate on the latent gases of mines , wo might expect these concurrences of explosion , and with some degree of periodicity . As they are preventable , the periodical recurrence virtually amounts to manslaughter through wilful neglect .

      Untitled Article

      NONB BUT THE BKAVE DKSEiBVE THE TAKE . The doctrines of tho Peace party must be put to a soro test at tho very portal of Parliament . " Tho conduc t oi the cabmen , " wo are told , " who ply from Palaco-yord , is nightly becoming moro reckless . JSTo sooner does any considerable body of hon . members emerge from tho precincts of Wostminstor Hall , than a general rush of contending vociferating cabmen follows , each ondoavouring to outdo his follow in procuring ' a faro . ' Tho consoquonco is , that

      of Into several hon . gentlemen have narrowly escaped sc « rious injury , whilst others have not boon altogether so fortunate . " On Monday nigltf , Mr . Spoonorwas knocked down , and bruisod . Such conduct , wo are told , calls for tho intervention of tho police ; but wo should havo thoug ht that it was not so much tho conduct ; , as tho injured Mowbors , that ought to call for tho police . No doubt thoy havo thought of calling for tho polico ; and probably a motion to send , for a policeman might bo made , but for the fonr of an adjourned dobato , and of Mr . OsbornoV jokos . on

      Members hold in foar by cabmon . . Weromembor tho little echoblboy , who was soro Jioi « down by a turkey-cock ; Sinbad , who was bestridden » y a calf-flkinned old man ; tho cockney lads , who walkort i magnanimous awe of " robbers" on Primroso-h 115 «¦" many a Parliament which has boon dauntod by * » ° " in its path : but now tho lions aro oabmon . Honour Members havo bocomo chattels , goods , common F ! ' ^' a community which suggests tho propriety of callus PalacQ-yard , in lUturo , " Cabby ' s Icaria . "

      Untitled Article

      ¦ : : . ¦ . ¦ .... ¦ . ¦ : ,. ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ :. ¦¦ : . ¦ Jt . ¦¦ 468 THE LEADER . ESATxmiyAY

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), May 15, 1852, page 468, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1935/page/16/