The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-02-15
WASHINGTON
scotch Expert Opinion on This
Territory's Flax.
a x~v settler in rsesma-Esenf~ In
ssshs@fsh-Csnp 81 the
BIahessy Win Essd

WafIa WaIIa 2.aketaan obtained FAX
seed from Prof. Hilgayd Of the Cniser-
atty OF California, and distributed
IL In various paris % the territory.
Gey. sefnple received a package and
turned IL over 10 Hon. 6eorge u.
Shannon OF Olympia. A sample OF
the fiax Mr. Shannon raised was cent
10 Dundee, Scotland, and ss . result
Mr.. Parker has received the following
letter from Mr. David III. Saunsiers Of
that city
The aax you sent Mr.. r. b. dcher-
xie Il beautiful IL l. equal 10 any l
ever saw in the finest French districts
The lsfer.is silky, the staple - strong,
ard viii suin into the finest thread Of
eayuhrir. III il precisely the fax ron re-
ouire for your own mills IN the East
tsYn states. You will not grow enough
OF il. for many long year. TO over
stock the market
About crossing such fax you have
mo difficulty at all; the difficulties be-
GIN when the flax IL grown Here we
SOW in the last week OF April: you
know from the sample sent me the
hest time for your climate. The
ground should be clean from weeds
the seeds should be sown broadcast
not in drills. Note well when trees
stand close In q forest they grow tail.
and do not branch out till near The
top. This il what We desire in fax
for this end we sow on land which has
been rolled. and then harrow in the
seed With a grass-seed harrow.
The flax should be allowed TO grow
tiil II l. yellow bali way up the stalk
then pitt, NOS cut IL, and tie 10 into
small sheayes; get a strong comb
made OF iron pins and fix il on a
y,lank. let two men sit astride the
the piauk and comb Oft the hollis.
These beautiful seeds. or bolis, on
your sample are invaluable feeding
stuff Note veil. the fax seed only
has been used-~a great mistake. The
hugk Il a valuable food Ii astringent
and should be used with the seed Too
much seed il apt 10 make Cow slip
her calf. The husks prevent this.
There are two WAYS OF using the
seeds First--Crush them, husks and
ali into, meal, and use with corn for
cattle, horses or poultry. Better still
Take 20 seven pounds OF barley one
pound of hollis" fby boIls | mean
seeds and hnsks, like peas with the
podl. allow them 90 COME to boil, and
you have a rich Jelly. Mix this with
hot water, salt and handful OF meal
of any kind and give IL TO cows or
70 feeding cattle, or % horses, and you
will in few weeks see them shine and
their skins will become soft as glove.
This Is an invaluable wrinkle for
dairy farmers.
To ripple the flax over the comb is
q slow process, bat il essential. for
the fibers must be kept square in the
end and straight, II you are to have
good fax fiber. Whenever rippled,
lie up again in small sheaves. Then
ding the flax into q pool of water.
IL should be laid end down, sioping
each sheaf over the other like fish in
a barrel. 1t must remain till the pith
the wood which l. the stem in the
heart of the flax rotten. This can
be ascertained by taking q stalk be-
tween the finger and thumb. Break il
over, and II the stalk breaks OF easily,
ike q glove off finger. then the lax
IL ready. Take 1t out of the water.
Eight 10 10 days il the time here, the
warmer the climate the shorter in the
sleeps. Let il lie night in n mass
To drip. Next day spread 1t out thin
on n grass seld When dry tie again
into bundles, aud il perfectly dry il
can be stacked. or bette: sill. AT once
sent to the mill. The lint mill is very
simple For $40 perfect mill can
be had. ii you have water
power 90 drive 1t. The mill con-
sists Of three rollers huted and very
heavy. The flax goes round the fluted
rollers and the pith il broken. Then
IL is taken Ia handouts called
strikes" These are held over rest
while wooden swords fixed 10 a quick
running horizontal shaft, strike the
fiax, drive out the pith cor wood and
leave the fiber in soft. silky masses.
The refuse. which Is called cordilia,
would make your reapiug twine, only
il il too good. The fax would make
the finest sheefing, tie finest handker-
chiefs, or the hest-sewing thread in the
world. | have never seen better flax.
Now note well. In country like
yours where labor Is dear. il will not
do. fear 20 farm lax on large scale.
let no farmer try more than two or
three acres TO begin. and il he sue
eeesis. let him go on Ia more. Two
and quarter 10 two and u half bush
els of seed per acre is sufficient. |
would advise you To let, say humid
red farmers. grow three acres each.
The holIs will of themselves repay
them. Let each farmer treat
the fiber as | have said. Raise say
600 in shares 20 buy MILL Then
bet each farmers interest in the
undertaking be his three acres. At
the end OF the season when all Is fin
ished and sold, let the 900 be repaid,
and the balance will he the capital of
the neu company. Were each farmer
90 lose his three acres in the expert
ment. the loss would not be very
great, as he would have his boils.
which are. on every farm. simply In
valuable food The tiher can lie sold
easily. In any of the Eastern states l
can sell il all in a week even If you had
square miles OF it. Best go to work
slowly Ii you can grow quality like
this sample you viii get twice the
price of usual Russian: for the heavier
and richer the crop. the closer on the
ground. and the taller il Is, You have
not on the ~, tier quantity, bat one
ton os such tsNsr may bring as much
as three tons og an inferior crop.
~ much for FAX. II you desire to
get any further Information, ! shall
be glad to communicate With the sec
Rotary at your agricultural society. or
any other gentleman who wishes in
formation rss.kax,ttaer ffax ,suff3frsa