Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1886-02-20

grow after potatoes. Flax Shout.
on no account whatever be grown
oftener than i've years on the sam:
ground, and once in seven is consider
ed safer and better. Any departure
from this system of rotation is apt tx
cause disappointment and loss. The
soil should be thoroughly drained
kept quite free from weeds ane
broagn5 to deep, clean and fine state
This enables the roots to penetrate
which they will often do to a dep5t
equalling one half the length of The
stem above ground. After wheat, ons
ploughing will be sufficient on light,
tfiable easily crumbled) soil, but Uwt
ploughings + better; and on stiff
soils three are advlsable-one imme
dtately after harvest, across the ridges
and two Il spring, SO as to be ready
for sowing in the early part Of April
Much will, Of course, depend on the
soil and the knowledge and e1perielce
OF the farmer. The sprlngploughing
should be done some time before sow
ing, thus permitting the seeds OF
weeds in the land to vegetate, and tbs
narrowing in of the fax seed will be
likely to XII Them, and save q great
deal Of after wedding.
The seed best adapted for the gen
eraIity Of soils is the Riga, although
Dutch has been used In many districts
of country for a series Of years with
perfect success, and generally pro
duces a finer fire, but not SO heavy a
cop as Riga. In buying seed selecti it
plump, shiny and heavy, and OF the
best brands from a respectable mer-
chant. by Sliding it clear OF all the
seeds Of weeds, much after trouble
will be avoided when the crop is
growing. This may be done by the
larn1e4s, and through a Wire sieve,
twelve bars to thelnch. Home-svaed
seed has produced excellent crops, but
1t will be best, in most cases, to use
the seed which is saved at home for
feeding, or to sell it for the oil mills.
The proportion Of seed may be stated
as 81 bushels to the acre. 1t is betver
to SOW too thick than too thin, as with
thick sowing the stem grows tail and
straight, Win only one or two seed
capsules at the top; and the fiber is
greatly superior i'll tineness and length
TO that grown from the thin sown
lax, which grows coarse and branches
Out, producing much seed but a very
inferior qualify of fiber. After the
ground has been we'll pulverized and
cleaned, roll and SOW. II it has been
laid off without ridges, it should be
marked out in divisions eight or ten
feet broad, III order to give an eGua-
bic supply Of seed. After sowing,
which should be done by a skiIlful
person, as the seed is very slippery
and apt to glide unevenly from the
hand, cover with a seed harrow, going
over it twice-once up and down, and
once crosswise u anglewise, as this
makes it most equally spread. and
avoids the small drills made by the
teeth of the harrow. Finish with the
roller, which will leave the seed co
cred about one inch-the prope
depth. Never roll after seeding when
the ground is so vet as to adhere to
the roller. Ii the seed and the soil
have been properly cleaned, few
weeds VIII appear; but if
there be any they must be carefully
pulled. 1t is done in Belgium by
ONE and children, who, with coarse
cloths around their knees, creep along
all-fours. This Injuries the young
plant less than walking over il, which
If done, should be by persons whose
shoes / not filled with nails. More
over, they should work facing the
wind, SO that the plants laid fat by
the pressure may be blown up again,
and thus be assisted to regain their
upright position. The tender plant
pressed only one way, soon RECEIVERS,
but if twisted or fattened by careless
weaders, it seldom rises again. The
wedding should be done before the
flax is over six inches high.
In securing the crop the best Tina
for pulling it is when the seed il be-
ginning to change from a green to a
pale brown color, and the stalk be-
comes yellow for about two-thirds OF
its length from the ground. The
fiber IS III the best state before the
seed is quite ripe. [ fpulled too soon,
although the fiber is fine, the great
waste IN scutching and hacking rem
doris it Improbable; II pulled too
late the additional weight does not
compensate for the c~oarseness Of the
fibre. It is most essential to keen the
flax even, like a brush at the root
ends. This increases the value to the
spinner, and, of course, to the former,
who will be amply repaid by an addit-
lonal price for his extra trouble.
Let the handfulls Of pulled fax be
laid across each other diagonally, to
be ready for separating the seed.
In our next paper we shall dwell
upon the treatment of the harvested
crop before it is ready for the hands
Of the manufacturer.
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