Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1863-03-06
FLAX CULTURE.


Of their doings.
FLAX CULTURE.
SeIL-PREPARATIoN OF SoIL-.SowING- GUAM
THY OF SEED--TINE OF CuTTING-MoDE OF
-CUrrfSG OF TRREsnI~G-CLEANING
SEED-YlELD PER ACRE-CosT OF PRoDCc
irlox -CEafAiErYo or TIE CRoP. 4 lIt
II 3rodd Concluded from tast ,reek.l
NODE OF Tu1ssHINo. ttgp ,aH
With fail, said 4 few Germans, in the
vicinity of Chicago, who have rsiscd some of
the finest crops on record, but the rest were
divided almost equally between threading
out with horses and "a machine In some,
sections, and those wherc they have. raised
most, and for the longest time, they report
no difficulty in using machines with some
slight alterations, to suit better the nature of
the crop ;sbut We are aof opinion, inyiew Of
all the answers received, that, !orthc ordinas
Try run Of farmers, and the small amount
raised by each, ''treading ont may be safe
lly recommended as the simplest and cheap
est method /, When this is done, however,
great care should be used to prepare floor
80 that the seed shall be Kept from getting
mixeo With dirt, which is great fault with
a large proportion of that which is brought
to this market. Then, too, an ordinary
thrcshng machine, will give you only tan
gled fax, which 10 always Of less valdc than
straight, so that, if the straw is heavy, it will
pay bcttor to bind in bundles and tread out
thus keeping the straw in good shape for
spreading to rot and to sell as straight fibre.
The good sense and peculiar. Circumstances
of each farmer viii suggest thesbes mode for
him although, for large operations, the ma
chine must Of course be the method.
CLEANING SEED
10 an item IN raising fax that nust have
more attention from our Western farmers
than it has hitherto received Until lately
makers of tanning mills had little or no ex-
perience with ii, and 80 furnished no screens
sutablc ! but now, several Of them furnish
La fax screen, with which a large amount OF
| the foul seed can be removed; and there is
certainly no excuse for transporting prairie
dirt, at high rate of freight, to the damag-
ing of the crop in the market and the great
annoyance Of the manufacturer, who has to
separate every particle Of It before crushing
the seed. The difference in price between
lots of seed belonging to different parties is
mainly determined by the manner in which
it has been cleaned by the farmer.
YIELD PER ACRE.
The average yield Of seed may be stated II
ten to twelve bushels per acre. Some report
ffteen-the lowest nine. The largest yield
of which We have heard, was twenty three
bushels to the acre, but scores Of farmers re.
ported fifteen TO twenty bushels in 1861.
The average yield of straw is one and a
| x,-o .,I = l.. toms han ont vial.
ing about one ton of rotted straw, for which
there is now an active demand with every
prospect Of its increase, as machines fol
breaking out the fiber are improved and
multiplied.
Messrs Walworth, Hubbard & Co., Of this
city, who have invented and constructed 9
powerful breaker, are now paying from eighl
to ten dollars per ton, accol ding to the quail
ity, delivered in Chicago and will contrac
with responsible parties for the delivery o
large amounts tho ensuing autumn. rf
COST OF PRODUCTION.
Inreply to our inquiry on this point tn
answers are almost unanimous. about thu
same as wheat" Some say in regard t.
preparation of ground and sowing, just thu
same as for wheat. Harvesting less expen
sive, but cleaning triae more. So that j
may be safely put down as costing less Il
raise fax than wheat. "A Pc ~e7 g.
i - . A. cERrAlSrY OF CROP. .2 III
, On this point there is a perfect agreemen
FROM all sections. One man says: 81 hav
raised it for over twenty years, and min
years in succession upon one piece Of land
and never knew it to fail" Another repl,
signed, by several farmers says: If sowl
in season there is no crop more ccrtain."-
Another: "Ifput in early think it a sur
CROP and one in Southern Illinois wher
Corn is King writes: taking the OF
binary run Of seasons flax is a. certain a
any crop except corn
/. We have thus given. as aach detailed in
formation upon the subject as the limits Q
our article. will allow, hoping it may lea
: some farmers, who have hitherto stood aloe
from its culture, to- give II at least = fai
trial. Fully persuaded that at no distan
: day the Northwest can and will produc
flax fibre enough to clothe US all in linen
, more or less hne, and that at . cost compal
ing favorably with cotton. ~ -