152 On the Culture of Flax.[March,

The ground, after Sowing, Should be well clodded, and then rolled, to prevent its being hurt by drought. When three or four inches long, the crop must be carefully weeded, and as little injury as posSible done to 1t by the feet or otherwise. The crop Should not be allowed to ripen 50 much as is com- monly done at present X. It Should be pulled when the talk begins to turn yellow, as Soon as it has lost the blo3soms, and before any of the bo//s are bardened and approacbing to ripeness. To allow the 5eed to ripen, would hurt both the crop and the ground. It is owing to the common error in this case, that fax has got the name of Scourging crop.„€? is 50, when allowed to ripen its Seed, but the reversze when pulled as 590n as it bas lost the bioom; as it ought to be when the Seed is not to be Saved. If the flax is fallen, it ought to be pulled the Sooner, that it may not rot. The beets Should be no longer than a man can grasp in both hands, and tied very Slack with a few dried rushes.

No circumstance respecting the management of flax re- quires more attention than to water It properly. We gene- rally keep it too long in the pond, or rather in the Stream, which is injudiciously allowed to run over it. Instead of this a canal Seven or eight feet wide, and two and one half deep and ol a length proportioned to the quantity, Should be made and filled with Soft water, three weeks before it is needed, in order 10 warm it by the Sun; Supplying, If necessary, any waste occasiIoned by evaporation.;

The beets Should be laid in the canal Slope ways, with the root end uppermost, as the crop-end is apt to breed vermin burtful to flax. Itmway be covered with divots the green Side undermost, and if not heavy enough to keep the iint under water, Some Stones may be Jaid above them, but the flax Should pt be pressed to the bottom. If the flax was pul- Jed in proper ume, and the water is warm and Soft, the rind will probably be Sufeient]y loosened in Seven or eight days; and if on trial, it was found to be so, it ought im- mediately to be taken out. It is always Safer to give it tvo Jide, than too much watering, as the defect may be easily remedied by giving it the longer time upon the ground; whereas a mistake on the other hand cannot be repaired.-- When Sufliciently watered, it feels Soft to the gripe, and be harle parts easily with the boo7 or Show, which last 18 tben become britile, and looks whitich. The coarser the Hax, the Soner 11 Is watered. Each beet, when taken up,

+ The finer quality of Trish and foreign lint, is aſcribed to its being pulled before it is ripe« This will add to the quantity. A writer in the SDAT. ACC.( XVI, 527); after telling"that 71 ſtones were got from three Hippies of ſeed, oblerves that it was pulled before it was fudly 11pC»