Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-03-22
Flax as a Proita BILE Crop.
Practical Farmer

Flax is not extensively cultivated in the
United States. It can be made a profit
able crop, however, owing to the high
prices obtained for the seed, while the
fiber may also be made a matter of profit.
Those who grow fax claim that it is easy
of cultivation and subject to but few OBJ
stacles, while the crop may be sown and
harvested within three months. 1t grows
best on mellow soil, one that is not too
wet nor too sandy, but will grow on any
soil that produces wheat, corn, oats or
potatoes. In preparing the soil it should
be well plowed and narrowed till fine and
level. The best fertilizer is wood ashes
or potash salts. About three pecks of
seed are required for an acre and the
yield usually averages fifteen bushels the
market price ranging from $3.50 to So
per bushel, according TO demand.
In putting down a crop of fax great
care should exercised in selecting good
sound seed that is perfectly free from
the seed of weeds, or there will be trouble
when the crop is matured the seeds of
weeds not being as easily separated from
faxseed as from wheat or oats, and it is
best to secure European grown seed if
possible. The crop should be sown as
nit, but slight early frosts are not in
furious. If the crop is cultivated for the
fibre two bushels of seed should be used.
If grown for seed, three pecks are suffici-
ent, while if cultivated for both fiber
and seed one bushel will aver. The
corn is cut when the lower leaves of the
plant begin to wilt and drop off, the stalks
then beginning to turn to light yellow
nd hn hnll eli
scythe or any kind of reaper may be used
for cutting, the stalks being bound in
bundles and stacked for threshing. With
our ordinary threshers the fibre is injur-
ed, but it answers for such purposes as
making bagging upholstery tow, Irvine,
etc., its value ranging from IS to So per
ton, though if properly prepared, with
delivery at linen factories the fibre sells
for about $25 per ton. The former treat
ment of fax was to rot it in order to separ-
ate the fibre, but invention now enables
the grower to market the entire stalk pro-
vided it is not broken, as factories can
in few hours do the entire work which
usually required many days, a chemical
process enabling the manufacturers to
shake from the fibre all unavailable
material.
HOdNAhS cuO value VI Gut uDC6 gu
tirely, fax is better crop than wheat,
for the yield of seed is neatly the same
as that of wheat, while the value is nearly
double. 1t is considered very sure crop,
and grows in SO short period of time as
to allow crop of turnips following 1T.
An acre will produce two tons of straw,
which can be sold, even in its inferior
condition, for more than the cost of the
labor. A bushel of seed will produce
two gallons of oil, and the refuse is the
celebrated oil cake, now universally used
for feeding. The crop is no more ex-
hausting to the soil than one of wheat or
oats.
We bring up the subject of fax because
late Improvements enable the farmers to
grow the crop and realize from both the
seed and the straw, provided the seed is
separated without injuring the straw.
This enables the crop to be placed among
our standards to assist in the regular ro-
tation. Considering that its fibre, refuse
straw, seeds and oil are salable, it equals
the cotton crop for it's various purposes,
with the advantage of being grown easier
than cotton, aud in a much shorter time,
not emitting the fact also that it can be
grown in many sections where cotton
could not exist. In proportion to cost
of production, 1t can be made more
proftabl than any kind of field crops
now grown.