The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-08-14

How TO RAISE FLAx-At the last session
of the Farmers Club, the suggestions and
directions concerning flax embraced almost
everything except what is absolutely neces-
sary for 3 tiller Of the soil to know before
he can raise crop of dax in satisfactory
manner These indispensable requisites 1t
is proposed to supply This will be the
apology for giving brief directions for rails
ING ia< with satisfactory profit.
1t is of eminent importance that flax
grower should understand beforehand what
is to be done, how it should be performed
and what should be avoided, in the manage
ment and preparation of the soil. When
lax is raised for the fibre chiefly, nothing
bat flax should be allowed to occupy the
ground. Hence, grass, weeds and other
crops growing among flax must be avoided.
4 smooth and even surface of the ground
where fax grows, is of great Importance
when harvesting the crop. Hence, clods,
sods, tussocks of grass half decayed, and
numerous holows should be avoided. The
seed should be of prime and uniform quality
and be put into the soil at a shallow and
uniform depth, 50 that there may be salts
factory uniformity in the length of the
stems When part Of the seed is barely
covered another portion is buried by the
feet of a heavy team several inches deep, the
flax will be of unequal height and will not
mature uniformly. Hence teams should
never be allowed to travel on land where
haxseed has been s0wed, unless the surface
be so compact that the seed Will not be bur
led more than one inch in depth. The seed
must be sowed with uniform erennesS or
the fibre will be Of variable quality. The
foregoing are the chief essentials. Now
then, the all-impOrtant question Is, how to
do the work The cutivator has been told
what to do times without number But
how to do it is part of fax raising which
has never seemed to be worthy Of the notice
Of writer's on flax culture.
Most writer's have told us to choose a rich,
loamy soil for flax. Bat when farmer has
not square rod Of loan on his entire farm
such counsel will tend to bewildermcnt.
Flax can he raised on any soil where fair
crops of the cerealia, red clover and grass
will grow. The primary deSideratum is a
mellow and smooth seed bed. This must
be prepared with agricultural skill. 1t will
never do ''to hog over a field in the cut
and-coyer style Of ploughing. If the seed
Is to be sowed on sod ground it mast be
ploughed in a neat smooth and ploughman.
ike manner. Then the surface should be
rolled topress the furrow slices down evenly,
after which it should be narrowed two,
three or four times, or until there is depth
of two or three inches of mellow soil. The
seed may then be sowcd and covered with a
brush harrow, drawn by one or two men.
If the gronnd Is heavy and disposed to be
lumpy, let it be ploughed III late autumn.
50 that every clod will be reduced to a mel
low condition before spring. When the
land Is sufficiently dry to be worked in the
spring let it be narrowed smoothly, rolled,
if at all lumpy, the seed sowed and covered
with brush harrow. Let the surface Of
the field be made a smooth and mellow a
carrot bed before the aaxseed Is pat in.
Then, if busled in, the crop Will Be of
uniform growth, and will yield much more
Of both seed and fibre per acre