Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-03-26
Flax Culture.

The growing interest III flax culture
is one more indication that the farm.
ers are waking up to the necessity
for diversity Of crops. The days
when the true farmer will raise only
corn, wheat and oats are gone by,
and all those who know their own
best interests see that they must not
confine themselves to the production
of only one or two crops. Flax sup.
plies the place of another variety OF
paying crop, SO that if one fails there
will be something to fall back OIL
The culture OF flax is as simple and
easy rs that of wheat, and it is not as
exhaustive to the land. In 1873 the
United States paid to foreign coun-
tries 322 ,s23,026 in gold for flax, raw
and manufactured. There is no rea
son why we should pay this large
amount for articles which can Just as
well be raised and manufactured at
home. Our soil and climate are we'll
adapted to the production Of flax, and
we might, with the same propriety,
neglect the culture Of corn n wheat,
and depend upon other nations for a
supply Of these articles. Flax is Il
very quick crop-the producer can
receive his money within four months
from the time Of sowing the seed,
and is one of the best crops to pre-
pare the land for winter wheat. Fol
lowing flax with corn is not generally
recommended. The selection of soil
for flax depends somewhat on the
Object in view to raising the CROP
Ii seed alone is wanted the best yield
can be obtained from dry, rolling
moderately rich land. Ii straw is
wanted, choose moist, rich land, such
rs our creek and river bottoms. The
land should be clean from weeds,
ard if some cleaning crop, such as
corn, turnips, or potatoes, was raised
on the land the year previous, SO
much the better. On dirty land the
expense of raising and harvesting
the crop will be more than doubled.
The land should be plowed in the
fall, and, if possible, again in the
spring. The soil must be put in the
finest possible condition and be made
smooth and mellow before the flax
is sown. The seed should be covered
with brush harrow or roller, as it
covered too deep, it will not come up
well. A heavy rain Immediately
after sowing will cover the seed sui:
ficiently, provided the soil be very
fine and mellow. Great care should
be taken to procure seed of good
quality. 1t should be fully matured,
plump and glossy, and free from foul
seeds. Ii fiber is desired, SOW from
two to two and q half bushels to the
acre; if good seed is desired, from
sixteen to twenty quarts will BE- suffi-
cient. If sown too thick the head.
will be smaller and not Is well filled
with seed. She seed should be sown
as soon after the LIST of April rs the
ground is in proper condition.
Flax should be cut as soon as the
balls begin to turn brown; as, if left
too long, there will be
a great loss of seed in harvesting
1t may be cut with almost any reaper,
and if raised principally for seed
there is no necessity tor binding it,
but it may be left in gavels until dry,
when it Is ready for threshing 1t is
better to tl,rcsh early. For thrcshing
some use fail; others tramp out the
seed with horses; while others use
the common threshing machines,
with some slight alterations. The
average yield is from twelve to fiji.
teen bushels per acre. Flax is often
sown with barley. The barley should
be sown first and narrowed In; after
ward the fax is sown and rolled or
covered with brush harrow. In
this way yield OF from fifteen to
twenty bushels Of barley and from
ten to twelve of fax can be obtained;
and by the use of proper screens the
barley and flax can be readily separ-
ated.
At present prices flax straw is worth
but little, except near factory
Where there are Inconvenience for
the manufacture of flax the straw is
worth from "a to IS per acre. Flax
seed is now worth about $l.7O per
bushel. The culture of fax is rapid
ly increasing in the United States.-
In 1850 the value Of linseed oil man
ufactured was $l,946, 1874, and in 1870
it had increased to Ss,s0l, 1852. But
the neglect of utilizing the stalks has
been a great oss to the country
The establishment Of manufactures
for using flax straw would add great
~ to the wealth of the country, not
only by manufacturing the linen
goods which we now import, but by
giving to farmers an increased value
Of their flax crop. When the straw
cannot be sold the culture of flax is
still more profitable than wheat cul-
ture, and it adds one more crop to
the rotation which should be prac-
ticed on every well conducted farm.
-Rural World.