Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1846-02-12
AMERICAN INSTITUTE, FARMERS CLUB.

Communicated the Saturday Emporium publication
JANUARY 20, 1916.
M. .Neigs-Put the following question relative
to the culture and manufacture of fax to Mr.. Bill
lIngs from Missouri:
lst. What kind of soil shall choose and what
manure?
Where there is most lime. On our best Prairie
land we add twenty bushels of lime to an acre
the lime should be first Stacked. Use also good,
well decomposed manure.
Cd. When and how often and how deep shall
pillow it
Plow as soon as the crop is off the field in the
fall-plow deep and if necessary use the subsoil
pillow, so as to plow II inches deep. Then in the
Spring pillow four or five inches deep.
| Sd. When and how shall | sow the sced-broad
cast or in drills and how many bushels to each a.
Gre
As soon as the land is plowed in the Spring
harrow it lightly, and SOW two and half to three
bushels of seed then harrow well.
4th How shall keep the crop clean?
The crops keep clean ofweeds by the close thick
growth of flax.
9Th How shall gather the flax and at what
time
Cut the fax with n cradle having scythe from
eighteen to twenty-five inches in length Cut
as soon MS the blossoms of the flax begin to fall.
9th. How shall secure the crop when gather
ed what quantity in bundle?
Let the flax lie on the ground until it wits. In
fair weather it may lie there thirtysiX hours. Wet
weather must be avoided at this time, if possible.
Bind up as much flax as a wisp of flax will bind in
one bundle Shock it on the field so as to prevent
wet from getting into it. Do not stack 1t! Leave
it in the shocks for five or six days. When the
weather is favorable, ard it is about as dry as you
would have your hay or oats, then house 1t.
9TH. How long can keep it before it is sent to
market?
Fifty years! The fax is improved by keeping
it year. The gluten which is in it, then dissoves
, more readily when you come to rot 1t.
Sth Is il worth my while to rot it on my own
farm?
; No; you cannot make so good profit by doing
: it,
9. Is it worth my while to have machine fol
: dressing the crop'
If you can raise two hundred acres of fax, then
you can afford to rot and dress 1t. One hundred a
+ ores will not pay sufficient profit.
10th. What is an average crop OF FAX IN tho
n United States per acre
/ About two hundred pounds per acre if you let i
all 90 to seed but four hundred pounds ityou gath
n err it in the blossom. Ireland averages five hun
/ dred and fifty pounds an acre.
Ilth Do YOU know how much it will cost to raist
o 1t per acre?
e Twelve dollars an acre when housed.
18th. What is the cost of dressing 1t Eov
h much can one of your dressing machines prepare
y in day?
/ Three cents pound, from the stack to the bal
d press.
One of my dressing machines with seven mer
/ will dress il day six hundred pounds oil max
y and so much less tow is made by 1t, that 1t save
G. twenty per cent. of the flax by my operation. An
IN the same process answers for them. Flax whe
n, rotted in water heated to ninety degrees OF ran
I'd renheit is done in three or four days. In ralsin
is fax part Of field should be sowed thin Tor N
seed. Common Flemish and French dressed fla
itnn Qt into I'm nd