It is particularly necessary that every means should be adopted to bring it specially before the manufacturers, that it is impossible they can preserve our interesting manufacture in its ancient splendour, unless they give the most constant care to make a better and more solid article than the manufacturers of other countries, and that they cannot continue to attract foreign merchants to our markets, unless they rigorously abstain from any fraud or deception.
Sometimes the teeth of the reeds are at unequal distances; again, acids of a corroding nature are used in the process of bleaching the yarn, to the detriment of the quality. It is necessary to convince those who may co-operate in frauds of this nature, or in any deception whatever, that in doing an injury to the nation, in the national manufacture, they are injuring themselves; and that, on the other hand, those who may assist in re-establishing the ancient renown of Belgium in the manufacture of linen, will be the first to reap its fruits.
With this end, and to lay the foundation for the accomplishment of this object, we now submit the following observations, which have been suggested by a voyage in Germany, in which minute attention was paid to the different processes of manufacture, as practised in that country. We recommend them to the serious attention of all the spinners, manufacturers and merchants, and will eagerly receive from them any ideas or information, which experience may enable them to transmit to us, to aid in the compilation of definitive instructions.
CULTURE OF THE FLAX.
In the districts of Courtrai, St. Nicholas, and Tournai, flax is cultivated in perfection, but nowhere else is the cultivation what could be wished. Thus, the culture of flax has increased, without the art of cultivation making any progress. The quality of the flax, even the abundance of the crop, depends much upon the selection of the seed. In general, the seed which we import from the North, succeeds, but for a few years past, the merchants engaged in the business have taken advantage of the confidence reposed in them by the farmers. What they sold as genuine Riga seed, was, really a mixture. Thus, in several districts where it was sown, the crop sprang up but partially and imperfectly. The committee will take measures to give the farmer more security in his purchases, and adopt means to import direct genuine Riga seed.
It has been observed, that when the seed is sown early, as soon as the season permits germination, the crop is always better, both in quantity and quality. Experience, also, teaches that good tillage and abundance of manure, have a great influence on the quality of the crop. The spade should be used in preference to the plough, as it pulverizes the ground better. This it is which makes it so difficult to cultivate flax in large quantities, and in a number of acres together.
On the fineness of the stalk, depends the fineness of the fibre. To obtain, therefore, fine flax, the seed must be sown very thickly, which can only be done where the soil is well manured and properly tilled.
It has been proved that when the flax is pulled between the falling of the flower and the formation of the seed, the fibre is finer and more solid than at any other time, so that unless it is wished to sacrifice the quality of the flax to obtain seed, the former must not await the full maturity of the latter.
Above all things the rotation of crops must be scrupulously observed; if seven or eight years be allowed to elapse before again sowing flax in the same field, it is certain that there will be a good crop; but the less the interval between the two crops, the less is the second to be calculated on either for quality or weight.
We need not observe how necessary it is to the production of good flax, that the weeding of the fields should be attended to with great care.