The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1862-10-15
Agricultural.


a Word to the Farmers.
The partial failure Of The wheat crop,
the present season, should induce farmers
to cast about for something else to depend
on. Experience has shown that wheat,
cannot Always be relied on. even on the
fertile lands Of Northern Iowa but that
two if not more crops out Of seven, is in
part, at least failure. sA'..
TO obviate this disappointment, Other
modes Of farming should be adopted grad
ually other crops should be sown, so that
in case Of the failure Of one, others can be
relied on. There is no crop at present that
offers such inducements to farm rs for
sure thing as Flax
The production Of vegetable flores in
quantities adequate to meet the demands
of the world, is one Of the desiderata of the
age. The stopt age, in consequence of the
existing rebellion Of the usual supply, for
single twelve month, Notwithstanding the
large quantities of the material ''in Stock"
has not only unsettled the manufacturing
and commercial relations of Europe, but
brought with it political pressure so in.
tense, as to threaten the most cherished
principle Of international law with over.
throw. In other words France and Eng
land, more or less, distincly have said 1--WE
must have cotton and il it he nncexsar., ia
obtain it We are ready to interfere in
quarrel confesscdly not our own, and with.
out regard to the right or wrong of the
question involved" But the results of
such an Interference would be futile, as its
morality would be indefensible. It &C uld
only be imperfectly justified by the adage,
necessity knows no law" 3. rs 49,. .sgs s..
But even were the southern ports open,
cotton production in the south can never be
what it was before the rebellion. Cotton
production in the United States by slave
laber received its maximum of development
in the year 1860. Henceforth the world
will have to seek new sources of supply.
or else resort to fibrous substitutes, capable
OF wider production, and capable of being
supplied profitably by free labor. #"..1
The obvious refuge from cotton domin-
ion is the Kingdom of Flax and Wool, and
why is linen scarce and high in price +? not
because Of the diff :ulty of production for
it grows freely in almost every climate and
on every soil, but simply because Of the
difficulty and cost Of bringing it into the
condition ready for the weaver. In word
Flax requires its Whitney; it requires
some one to do for it what Whitney did for
cotton. 1t is believed that machine de.
serving to take the same rank il, respect to
Flax, that WLitney's Gin holds in respect
to cotton, viz: "Sanford's Flax Dresser"
Is now in operation in New York, a ma
chine simple in construction, portable, ,ffi.
Client and safe in operation, cheap, costing
no more than an ordinary moving machine
Cleaning the Flax from the straw, or
shooce, by the aid of two men at the rate Of
loo to 100 pounds per day, with a saving
OF at least % per GEN.. of fibre; in quality
much superior to the old method.
But aside from saving the fibre of the
hax crop, the seed is more profitable than
an average Of the wheat crop. The rich
lands of Northern Iowa, particularly those
having clay sub-soil, and if little moist
all the better, is admirably adapted to the
raising OF both seed and fibre. The ground
should be prepared by deep blowing in the
tall, again plowed in the spring, all o.
strnct'ons removed, narrowed finely and
rolled, the seed sown broad cast, and if
intended for the seed, at the rate of half
bnsh'l per acre; if for seed and fibre, one
to one and half bushels per acre, and har
rowed in lightly with fine harrow if in.
tended only for the seed it may be cut by a
common mower, and if to save the fibre on
smooth rolled land it may be cut sufficient
~ low with one of the improved Seapers.
and bound up and threshed with a machine
having bars instead of teeth in the cylin-
der.
lhe writer of this having had consi der.
sole experience in Flax culture at the east
mas always considered it the safest time to
SOW flax seed about the opening of the
leaves OF the deciduous forest trees in the
spring, II the ground is in suitable condi-
ton and on lands much inferior to those of
Northern Iowa, we got an average Of fifteen
bushels Of seed, and $50 pounds Of lint to
the acre. r.
McGrcgor, Oct. Q, 1862. 81