Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1850-06-21
agrtcnGtatral.
rr.x vrTHop OF CULTIVATION.

-, ,.EwcosfB. OF RENSSELAER, COUNTY.
,,s f5r,lfeoninr volume Of Transactions Of the n
Y state Agricultural Society
The importance of this crop TO the farm
.r has lust begun TO be appreciated, and as
= has few peculiarites in IFS culture,
absll attempt 10 give the results of my ex-
narience for the last sixteen years. have
into, ',een extensively engaged in the raising
road nd managing of fax and have drawn the
openelowing conclusions: Fust, the soil best
p;ed to lis culture Is a rich loan but
ts@mA. succeed we'll on almost any soil,
Except sand, provided it be high or hilly
and 1t viii not grow well on low lands.
IN borders of streams or rivers II would
-loi probably succeed oftener than once in
en wears, for causes shall presently state.
The seed being small, it must not be placed
deep in The ground. ] would recommend
the ground 10 be well ploughed, and thor
c2ghly puiyerized by dragging before SOW
! ug, and very lightly dragged or bushed in,
Feaafier sowing. The earlier sown in the
z tspring after the ground is fit 10 work, the
9beuer. One bushel of seed to the acre is
THE best amount OF seed to insure good
. S1lIle- ~f--r%--i --rr and lint if less quantity
aa7 Var seed 5e sown, the quantity of seed
for y.o,,Td be- increased, but the quantity of
Hfl lint ryopd be lessened, and if a little more
NJ ssed l. s7un, the lint would be increased
hat ~ seed would be lessened. Ga low
lands he fax is subject TO mildew or rust,
z,b;cb ) @. two kinds, the red rust, which
dastrogs beth seed and lint, and the black
Ko. ~,st which affects the stem of the fax
Ind DESTROYS The lint this IS the great en-
epy OF fax growing but on elevated or
biliy lands it is very seldom attacked with
ei,ber Of these kinds of rust.
Flax succeeds the best after corn or
,ota,oes. or such crops as have been cul-
yated the previous year so As to destroy
,eds. The ground cannot be 100 rich,
ii must not be made so by manuring
'aav grounds with manures filled with
- seeds OF grass and weeds, which would
spring W ard destroy the crop. There
fore would not recommend manurng the
fax ground the season 1t is sown, except
wih the following stimulants and ma
nGres, TO wit: to each acre of land apply
one bushel Of plaster of Paris, one bushel
Gf fine Western salt, one bushel Of wood
ashes, one bushel Of Stacked lime, of
course varying these manures accord
Ing to the nature of your soil. If it
be a light loan, mixed with gravel or sand,
leave out the lime if it be tenacious soil
bordering on clay, or nearly so, be sure
; and put on lie lime. The salt and ashes
il me -0u9ntgty mentioned are not only ma
rures, bat preventive to the operations
of the worm, which are often very de-
structive to flax. Plaster is a strong slim
uIant, and is invaluable on dry soils, by It's
attractive principles for moisture. The
of nett 0f Hay Ic
about the same as oats. The expense of
hand pulling usually is SO per acre thresh-
Sag the seed and cleaning, 81 per acre :;
rSsssaz rotting and taking it up, 81 per acre /;
and dressing at the mills from 81 to So so
per hundred pounds Of fax. The aver
sge quantity Of seed raised is eight bushels
per acre, and the average quantity of flax,
$50 lbs. per acre although this has fire.
qGen1y been more than doubled both in
seed and lint The average price Of seed
is 81 25 per bushel, and average price of
lint, 81 cts. per pound.
In l847, raised sixteen acres of fax,
producing little over $500 as gross re-
eeipts. From my book of that year,
. copy the following results Of one acre, OF
about the average Of the field. Weight ol
lax and seed before threshing 2,84s lbs
2,009 lbs. weight Of lint when dressed
;3lS lbs. ; quantity Of clean seed, I3 bush
els and one pint; and ! +! bushels Of yel.
low seed.
Flax sold for 80 cts per ID $34 50
l3 bushels. ] pint seed, 10 peg bnshel, IL q
busheis yellow seed, ,Js =
j SOL 6;
WATER RoTrNG.-Therca are two meth
DDS OF rotting fax, one by spreading i
thinly and evenly On our meadows, and il
ss-....gsalled dew cotting. It is considered sufi
s.'n,;i tenily rotted when, by rubbing the stem
IT. ssod breaking it with the hand, the hurl 0
Sint easily separates from the woody por
& lion Of the stem. This ie the common
process, and requires but little judgemen
10 do il properly. The other method is
! ay immcrsing it in water.
have been offered % per cent, ou tn
a,fe.nt f,riae df dew roftpd fax for watf