Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1863-03-05
Flax Culture.


a The scarcity o. cotton has turned the at
tention of manufacturers to other textile
fabrics. Flsx- has been grown more ex
tensieely in 1862 then for several years
past. Ii has been not only worked mp in
such form that it could lie spun upon
spindles especially ADAPTED totnes fibre.
but ha~ also been reduced hy chemical pro-
cesses to what is called flax-cotton. which
has been successfully spnn upon ordinary
cotton machinery. Flax-cotron yarn.
Irvine and batting have lie for sale in
come of the Western cities for months
past. In Rhode Island tests have been
male Of some Of the late patents. (which
have proved successful. AMI have inluced
mill-owners to prepare largely for its man
ufacture-- These processes Involve no
pulling Of the fax by hand or water rot
tug. The flax grown for the seed may
be harvested. the seed thresasd from The
straw. and the fibre separated from the
"shove." ~ the farmer. The fibre in the
Tudimentaf >tate is tsled and srntl TO the
mill for convention into Aax-cotton.
AT the price for fax seed the past year.
. sveracisg $3.50 per bushsI. anil So per
ton for the straw. the crop pays better
than corn. The unretted straw is prefer.
rel to that rotted by the patentees of the
new processes. As the greater proportion
Of the elements in the fax straw which
tends to exhaust ihs soil are in the woody
or pithy matter of the stem., the farmer BY
3 the proc ess Of braking the FAX straw can
secure and return To the soil these ele-
ments. The popular objeetionto the cul-
2 tivasion OF fax is that il exhsusts the soil.
but il is found not to exhaust the soil
more than oats, and with proper rots-
tien Of crops. culrivating fax on the same
s ground not oftener than once in Ave years.
the objection would be obviated. =
X In growing fax for the fibre il is better
to SOW from one to three bushels per acre.
This will produce On increase ofyisld Of
seed. and large increase in the amount. Of
lint. which will be Of . superior qualify
It Is for the interest Of oil-mili men vino
g loan seed to farmers that the less quantity
be sown. In Ireland. where they SOW
, fromtwo " three bushels to I be acre, they
get on the average two tons Of straw and
twenty bushels of seed. In New York
they get ten bushels Of seed and one ION Of
!. pulled straw, sowing from one burheI to
Eve pecks Of ssod. In Ohio and ID this
State, with half . bushel Of seed sown.
the average yield 10, seven to, eight bushels
of seed aad half ton OF cfadled stray
Thirk sowing. also. helps to choke DOWN
the weeds, and with clean seed and LAM:
clear Of weeds. sayes troahls on that score.
Good land is needed for fax. but recent
smsmsing should he avoided. ~ it makes
szsbs ssslks unequal Flax often does well
on light soils. as on the basrens or eak
openings Of Kentucky Soils containing
nnch potash are especially favorable TO il.
The beat soil for fax is sound. dry. deep
loam- IL L. almost essential that The lanss
!, be properly diained and eubsoiled, IS when
Il is long -a,urated With battle-ground, or
surface water. it will not yield . good
crop. The best retatioa olcreps b. 70 sow
after wheat or barley bnf IN poor sosls.
unified Tor v heat, it is better to grow 81.
.1dks se6sosz fspz5ss Il 1s6osksS z that
nearly tya.thirds OF the lint Of Gaz gpown
= swas MOI saved In this State. scconding
- 10 The same sathovify the lint VS. ssved
on AL acres. and thrown awSv on l9.-
.373; Of nearly 10. 900 tons a FAX straw.
|. worth $50 900. were thrown away The
! Asarth 81 paper material might very ea-i-
~ 10 rsmsdiei BY the nee ofIflsx strsw.
/. from which the very best qnaIity Of Paper
:: can Be- lns.Is. Th1 Inducements for The
) ,eulfnrs d aex. assp>eisAy !, for The fbre- ere
= 9spassr than svers bsfoss. sad will elsseba-
bly, re.ult in the eroeing ~ large besdth
: Of lax for th1 ensu'pe year.. ~ I.ssssss