Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-01-05
hnipn and 9ispatrh,
AGRICULTURAL.
Fiax Seed-Its Importance a. nn a.
rfcuIturaI PrOgsuet-

Flax Necd-lts Importance a. nh AZ
ricuItUraI PrOduet.
We invite the attcltion Of our rgricuitu-
raj readers to the following essay on the
cultivation Of fax seed Believing the
time has arrived when they will End II TO
their interest to diversity their crops, we |
know Of no article that will repay the time /
and labor bestowed on il better than fax
seed; a crop for which the farmer will re-
ceive his money within three months after
planting, at the Oil Factory, No. Do Broad
street, in this city:
FLAX SEED.
The cultivation Of fax seed is as simple
a. that Of any crop we have. il require
no more labor 10 raise and harvest a crop
Of K than il does to raise and harvest a crop
of oats, barley on wheat. Its less exhaust
ing 10 the soil than a crop ofwheat. Since
mowers have been used for cutting, in
stead Of pulling, and the roots lel in the
ground, il has proved that fax SO cut isnOt
an exhausting crop. Flax is a very quick
crop. The planter can receive his money
within three months after sowing. The
following directions, IL followed, will ena-
ble any farmer 10 raise a large crop Of
strictly prime seed:
SELECTION or SOIL.
Almost any dry, rolling moderately rich
land will produce good seed. 1t Is gen
orally thought that fax seed should be
s0wn on moist, rich land such as our creek
and river bottoms This opinion prevails
because the starw Of FAX grows more
luxuriously on rich land. The best seed,
T. e. richest IN the oleaginous matter, Is pro-
duced upon rather dry, rolling and only
moderately fertile soil. The stalks are
shorter, bat much more, and The bolls 6ll
better A better quality OF seed is also
obtained in a dry than in a wet season,
O. O. the seed contains a greater per cent. OF
oh. The straw does not grow 50 rank and
the hollis Gil with larger, richer seed.
PREPARATION or TIKI SOIL.
The soil should he put in the finest
possible tilth for the reception Of the seed.
One good deep blowing and several har-
rowings, 30 ~ 10 make the surface fine and
smooth, will answer. But il is better when
il can be done, TO pillow the ground deeply
in the fall, exposing the sub-soil 10 the
action Of the frosts and the atmosphere. In
the spring cross-plow the land, and har-
row as before recommended.
One thing must always be borne i'm mind
in preparing land for fax seed, and that is,
the land must not be worked when wet. II
it is, il will be lumpy, sticky and in bad
condition for a crop. When the sol is dry
il puyeTizes freely, and no such c0nsequen-
ces follow. Il is desirable 70 have a heavy
roller drawn over the field 10 crush and
thoroughly pulyerize any Jumps or clOds
that may be on the surface The whole
cultivation Of the crops and the yield
therefrom, depend upon putting the land
ia proper condition for the seed A little
extra labor and care in this respeci will
yield rich return.
II the sub-5oil is a retentive clay, it is
letter to pillow the ground in back burrows,
or land eighteen or twenty feet inside,
leaving the burrows between the lands
open for the passage Of water in case Of
heavy rains, or an undue amount Of mois-
ture.
QUALITY OF SEED.
Too much pairs cannot be taken TO get
that, which is fully matured and perfectly
clean-iree from all foul seed-b0th to Sc
cure a good merchantable crop, and to pre-
serve the land on which il is sown from
troublesome weeds. Farmers often expe-
rience great difficulty in procuring such
seed, a. no ordinary tanning mill will re-
move some Of the worst enemies of the far
mer and good fax.
With good seed TO SOW there IL nothing
like fax as a preparatory crop for wheat.
The testimony of Ohio farmers. where fax
has been extensively grown for over quar-
ter Of a century, is explicit on this point.
TIME AND MANNER OF SOWING.
The seed should be sown as soon in spring
as the land can be got in proper condition.
Say the latter part Of March TO the middle
Of April We have heard that il is some
times injured at particular stage Of its
growth by frost, but we have cultivated il
for more than twenty-five years and have
never known any injury 10 occur to it from
frost To avoid FROST il should not be
planted until about the FIRST Of MAY in the
latitude of St. Louis, but if the season
should be dry, the flax will not get large
enough 10 resist the drouth of summer,
therefore, we think il better 10 SOW the seed
about the first OF April. Some farmers do
SOW the seed as early as in February. on
the snow. II may be sown with safety at
almost any time in spring.
over the surface Of the ground by hand. It
should be covered by drawing brush over
IT, instead Of narrowing il, as by the latter
method il is covered too deep. Only a
very slight covering is required. A heavy
rain Immediately after the seeding will
cover the seed sufficiently, OF drawing a
heavy roller over the ground will answer
the same purpose. But in these cases the
soil must have been made very mellow
and fine before sowing the seed.
QUANTITY or SEED PER ACRE.
Not over half bushel Of seed per acre
In any case should be sown. By thin SOW
ing the stalks will be stronger, and throw
out vigorous branches which will produce
large bolls filled with plump, glossy, seed
containing very large per cent. OF oil. BY
thick seeding the plants are les strong
branch but little, the sun can strike only
the tops Of the plants, and the seed will be
smaller, lighter, and will not contain
within fifteen or twenty per cent. the
amount Of oil that seed will when raised by
thin sowing.
FLAX SEED sOWN WITH BARLEY.
Flax seed may be raised with spring
barley with the most satisfactory results. A
yield had been obtained varying in differ
eat years Of frem ten 10 fifteen bushels of
lax seed, and from sixteen 10 twenty-five
bushels Of barley per acre. The barley is
FIRST sown and narrowed in, then the fax
seed IL sown, six or eight quarts per acre,
and covered with the brush. The crops ripen
together. They are harvested and then
threshed with common threshing machine
and by the use Of suitable screens in the
tanning mill, the barley comes out clean in
the front part Of the mill and the fax
seed comes OUT under or at one side of the
mill. We have seen as fine plump fax
seed raised in this manner as We ever saw,
ard the barley equally fine. Those far
mers who intend 60 SOW barley, will find
that, by sowing fax seed with il, they will
derive much greater returns from the fax
seed than from the barley, and the quantity
of barley viii not be materially lessened.
Less than the usual quantity Of barley,
should be sown when il is intended 10
raise fax seed with it.
TIME OF CUTTING.
Flax should be cut as soon a. the hollis
begin 20 turn brown, and while the stalk is
vet green. II LEFT standing too long, there
will be a great loss Of seed in harvesting
Farmers are usually well through harvest
ing spring wheat before fax is ready 60
cut, and il ripens considerably later than
winter wheat.
MODE OF CUTTING.
Some farmers use a cradle, but a large
majority a machine. From the number Of
roapeni mentioned as wording well, we are