, 1865-03-18
FLAX CULTURE.

y.
4 Matter OF Hn1crest T.. Our Faruers-
The $of1 foe EGs cultivation, Prspa-
af'i Il Sni.issilo:,-Th1esn1ns, &s.-a
New Flax Viii.
The numerous inquiries now being made
upon the subject Of fax culture, and m5re
particularly fax manufacture, show tllat more
and greater attention is being given to II
than ever before; and in order t. meet and
answer those inquiries, the practical e1psfi
ence Of many far growers in Illinois and ad
| joining States, through sc1ies OF qucstizns
sent out and returned with written ansv-Es,
has been sought, and the substance of them
| will be embodied in this article.
SOIL.
Flax requires arich, frlable snd clean up
Hand soil, but will do we'll on any ground that
Is suitable for. wheat CT corn. The rolling
proiries Ct the West arc well adapted to 1t.
Experience shows that land within forty miles
Of Chicago produces large crops Of both seed
and straw. The rolling country about Cham
Paign, Decatur, Bloomington, Wilmington,
ard the western and northwestern portions
Of the State, and also large tracts In Wiseon'
sin, Minnesota and Iowa, afford excellent soil
for flax.
PREPARATION OF SOIL.
all fax growers unite In stating one thing
as essential to success In growing fax-thoF-
ough preparation Of the ground BY plo#lng
and narrowing. Most farmers agree in saying
that 1T should follow corn, with deep fall
plo~ing, and then narrowing before sowing,
until the surface is fully pulye1izcd, and made
as smooth as possible.
SOWING.
In the southern part OF this state the seed
is generally soTn in March. The seeding
should be done as carly in the spring season
as the weather and state Of the ground will
admit of fine tilinge-the so wing ttms ranging
from the 10th Of April to the 10th Of May,
according IS the season is early or late --early
seeding ordinarily producing much the best
crops Of lint and seed. The seed should be
bright, plump and clean, and be sown evenly,
ut the rate Of about one and one-half bushels
to an acre, where the fibre or straw Is the
main object ,!and one bushel to the acre whe: e
the seed is the principal object. Heavy seed
Ing will produce us much seed as light seed
Ing, and 1t Is absolutely necessary TO 6eed
heavy to 1a'se crop OF 1a1, producing good
marketable lint. After sowing, bush In the
seed lightly, SO that tho seed will only be
covered sufficiently to gcgminate, and roll
tie s,ourd, TO compact the carth around The
seed to mid its termination, and to .l,rm M
even surface On the. ground, 50 to enablc
the reaper to cut the fax as close to the:oots
OF The stalks as possible.
QUALITY OF THE 9EED.
Tco much pains cannot b given to get that
seed which is fully n1atured and perfectly
clean-ffee from all foul seeds, both to secure
good merchantable crop, and to preserve the
land upon which 1t Is Gown from troublesome
weeds. It WAS this fact, more than any other
that led to the system Of '*lpaning seed and
contracting for the .crop," which has been
practiccd to large extent in Ohio, Indiana
and elsewhere, and which was introduced in
this city several years ago by Mr.. E. ".
Dlatcltord, proprietor Of the Chicago Lead
and Oil Works. 1t has, we believe, proved
mcst satisfactory in its results to both Mr.
BiatylEold and bis customers. We are not
personally Informed of the fact, but we sup
POSE Alr. 3. ofi-s s the same Inducements to
enx growers the present spring that he las
heretofore.
TINE AND NODE or CUTTING.
r Cut the fax with reaper 1rhta tie sced baOa
5ts;n 10 turn trotsn, in order to prevent the
less Of seed in harvesting, md also to make
good lint. If the fax is left standing after
the seed Iolls are ripened and tnrn brown
the seed will waste badly in handling, and
what Is worse, the straw will become over
rjpcned ard the lint from It will be coarse and
weak.
MANNER OF GATHERING.
After cutting the fs2, ii labor can be got
bird 1t up in mail bundles, about five or sis
inches in diameter, with the serd-ends <7e,,ed
| and set them up on their but-ends, In smal
shocks to dry and cure the seed. But whcl
latos is too scarce, or the flax Tery short, Il
may be cut and cured loose and tangled, likt
hay snd the sted be removed by a threshing
| machine for tangled straw. It Is not reces
eary to keep the straw strafght after tho seed
| ends a1e removed.
MODE OF PRESERVING.
Ysen the fax straw is perfectly drJ
and the seed npcned, stacy the straw
carefully and compactly, covering 1t will
rain thoroughly.
HOW IT 6uoCLD BK THREsnED.
"With tlail," say the Germans around
Chicago, who have raised some Of the finest
crops on record but the larger number oi
people are for "treading 1t out with the
horsee," or "machfne." Those who have
tried it report no difficulty IN using the ma
chine. with some slight attentions to snit
better the nature Of the crop. Undoubtedly
tread1ng ont will be the haudtest and mos!
economical to farmers, unless they cultivate
large amount. when machine could be
| used to advantage. There is one thing, how
ever, to be considered, and now M much i'm
| pottance: that the machine will give yoc
tangled aax, which for manufacturing p1:
poses Is always Of less yalue than straight
! In this matter the good sense and peculiar
circumstances Of each farmer must contro!
bis Judgment.
| RoTrEsG TIE FLAX.
After threshing out, tho seed, the
| fax straw should be deW-1otted within ths
months Of September, October and Novem
bcr, about SIX weeks being required to dew
| rot. Two coats Of dar may be dew-rotted or
the came ground, one after the other in tht
came season. In dew-rotting, the fax straw
| should be spread outeveuly, not tangled, or
grexs land, Mt the rate Of one to one aid one
half tons to an acre. While dew-rotttng and
when the upper stalks appear nearly well
rotted, turn the fax orer, picking. open Ill
| the bunchca. 1t should be taken up as eoor
as 1t is found to be dew-rotted just right ani
| is perfectly dry. To ascertain when II is rot
ted right, taEe few Of the stalks Of fax ani
rub them smartly between the bands. If tht
lint Ecpa1ates freely from the broken stalks
aud is strong, 1t Is well dew-rotted. Grea,
care should be taken not to oyer-rot the 1a,
which destroys the fibre. 1t should then bt
either put compactly in stacts, raised from III
ground and treu eorertd, or hauled to the fa1
| mill, and there be either stacked In the SAINT
manner, or stored in the FAX mill or barns
The greatest care is required to have the das
straw perfectly dry, .e1tn stacked Or storsd, auG
| afterwards, until it Is worked into lint at tht
| fax mill, as clean, good tow cannot be made
| from 1t, II at al damp. The yalue Of tow
! made ficm damp staw, is from two to flvt
Gee ia per pound less than that made from tht
same quality Of straw when dry.
| cLEAS1c'G TIE SEED -
| is an Item in raising fax that must have 4lors
| attention from our Western farmers than II
has hitherto received. Until the past twt
gears the makers Of fanning mills had nttl'
OF no experience with 1t, AID SO furnished NJ
screens suitable; they now, many OF them
| furnish fax screens, with which Large
amount Of the foul seeds can be removed
The difference in price between lots belong
ing 10 different PARTIES, is mainly determined
By the manner In which 1t has been cleaned
By the farmers.
| YIELD PEn ACRE.
The average Yield Of seed may be stated q
H. - Ff91.