2d. The strength and quality of the cloth is much superior to that from flax, water steeped or dew rotted.
3d. The great advantage from the quantity of food for cattle, and also manure obtained by this new method, the boon, or outer coat of the flax, containing a sixth of the gluten of oats, the woody part being excellent for manure.
It also appeared in evidence before the committee, that
| 100 lbs. flax, in a dry state, produced one fourth, | 25 | lbs. | fibre | |
| 100 lbs. flax, dew retted, produced one eleventh, | 9 | 11⁄2 | ||
| Excess, | lbs. | 15 | 141⁄2 |
or a saving in proportion as 90 to 33.
In confirmation of this I can only say, I procured some flax, in its dry state, which had been thrown away as not worth retting—4 lbs. of dry flax produced 1 lb. of fibre fit for the hackle: when dressed in Lee's machine, the samples of flax, tow, and thread, though, from the poor quality of the flax, inferior to some samples of English flax dressed in the same manner, were greatly superior to any that had been retted.
I have, however, never made the experiment of weighing the flax, and then ascertaining its produce when retted; but from the knowledge of those who gave evidence to this point, have no doubt of its correctness.
There is another advantage; the flax dressed in a dry state becomes much whiter, and is easier bleached—merely washing it in soap and water makes it white: the finest particles of flax are also saved, which are essential to the manufacture of lace, or very fine linen: the seed is also all preserved.
Mr. Brande, professor of chymistry at the Royal Institution, made some experiments on the nutritious quality of the chaff: the result was, an eighth of nutritious matter. Mr. Lee says, it is equal to a crop of oats for feeding cattle; and it appeared also, that horses, when accustomed to it, prefer it to clover chaff.