The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-24
THE CULTURE OF FLAX
A Better Crop in 1895 Than
Any Grain Win Be.
CLEAN SEED SHOULD BEPlANTEp
Flax Not Destructive TO the SoII-How
TO Plant. Gather and
Thre-h IL.


LIN xBy .sqs sIs ss9uHuO sq9 2nQ :SsSt.d
yield more money Per acre IN iss5 taaa
viii wheat. oats or barley. Flax Esis-
ing IS not nearly 50 well understood by
farmers as Is the production OF wheat
Some farmers fear 10 SOW fax on their
valued lands. believing that IL Will Sc
rlpgsiy tnlure the fertility OF the soil
Others are greatly prejudiced against
fax because bad weeds often are brought
TO the farm in fax seeds. There Is some
weight 10 these two general objections
10 this important crop. but IL this crop
be handled inIeihgently there Is little
harm to be feared. and more money re-
allied than from most other small crops.
On account OF fax being oftimes sown
late In spring and ripening with mustard.
Russian tnisties and other bad weeds
the seed fax Is liable to contain seeds
OF these pests. IL Is indeed a very gross
error for a farmer 10 raise fax from seed
purchased from q distance and without
careful inspection. Where possible flax
seed should be grown on the cleaaest
fields on the farm where IL is to be plant
ed or IL should be procured from some
neighbor whose field was known TO be
free OF bad weeds. Every farmer should
now be able 10 Identify mustard seeds by
inspecting the sample OF fax seed
And every farmer in the Northwest
should at his earliest convenience learn
10 identify the seeds OF Russian thistles.
These seeds are about the size OF mus
tard seeds. only slightly fattened, and are
not hard like mustard seed II broken
open a coil Is found. which looks like a
small shell. II this cooled I'D seed or
germ is Strengthened out a roG-like body
will be found. somewhat smaller in diam
eter than the shaft OF a pin. and forked
at one end. To inspect sample Of flax
good way is 10 spread handful out on
piece OF white paper or on a board
II the flax was not grown on land known
TO the intending purchaser and there are
weed seeds found which the farmer does
not know. he should fear IL. and hunt
further for his fax seed. Last year q
few car loads OF fax brought into Mime
sofa from the Dakotas and sold by grain
dealers 10 farmers for seed, thoroughly
sailed the neigh borhoods into which they
were brought with Russian thistles. Flax
has done more than any other crop TO
spread seeds OF mustard throughout the
virgin soils OF the Northwest. And by
bringing in ot1xr weeds also Il has help
ed TO turn IL into one OF the weedIeSr
spots OF the earth. In like manner seeds
Of other weeds are spread by this late
sown grain crop.
But this objection does not apply TO
the careful farmer. lie can get faz seed
clean OF weeds. and he can do this with
only ordinary precaution.
In almost every neighborhood seed OF
the common and of the Russian varie-
ties of fax can be procured. The Rus
sian seed Is a little larger than the COM
mon fax. and probably yields better than
our American fax.
These varieties are very similar In ev-
cry respect. and il is difficult TO identify
one from the other. AT this station We
have some fax not as yet named which
promises 10 be a superior yielder. but We
have only a small quantity of 1t.
That Tay Is much harder on the fer
tility of the land than is wheat, has been
oyerestimated. In many cases fax falls
10 do well after fax and in some cases
other small grains seem 10 do poorly
following flax. a good crop OF fax takes
only about the same amount OF fertliZ-
ing elements from the land as does a
good crop OF wheat. Possibly there IL
some effect on the land from fax not "a
yet discovered. In Europe where fax Is
much grown for the fiber. there are dis
eases Of flax which make IL necessary
TO avoid growing II on the same land
oftener than once every several years
DIR. Otto Lugger found fax disease in
this country, but it has not been gener-
ally troublesome. Flax Is n very poor
crop 20 precede crop of wheat. but
probably does no especial harm before a
crop OF corn or other cultivated crop,
and in some cases can be worked into the
rotation the year before a bare failow. IL
fax pTeCedes a cultivated crop. manure
may he spread on the fax stubbles. Sow
ing grass seeds with fax TO follow this
crop with pasture or meadow has not
boen much tried. fnd probably would
not NEE, with favos.- The fax is usually
sown a little late sn the season. while
grass seeds are more certain to catch"
II put in with the earliest sown small
grains
Flax is a much abused crop. Because
II can make fairly good yields when sown
late IL is often sown on freshly broken
prairie sod. on land very late spring plow~
ed or on land where some other crop has
failed and IL often pays 10 thus plant II.
But this late planting causes II TO average
less per acre, and makes OF IL a much
weetier crop than when planted earlier
IN the spring. As rule flax should be
planted as soon as danger OF frosts has
passed. or a little earlier than corn. Tams
gras - sod. or grain stubble' ground fall
plowed early IN the season. or land on
which corn has grown. makes a far bet
ter preparation than Is generally given
fax nv blowing under stubble Of wheat
or cats after all other crops are plante't
late IN the spring While fax is a good
crop TO fit into the rotation in odd places.
as on breaking or where other crops fail.
II responds 10 good treatment just as do
other crops II the land has been manur-
Ell while growing a previous crop OF corn
the fax will get much good from that.
and on many soils the rotted manure af,-
piled directly for the fax will give gooa
results Where fax Is 70 follow small
grains the stubhle should be burned by
the help OF a strong wind. or. falling Ia
this Il should be moved. raked Up and
burned Disc3nE At once after harvest
TO kill weeds not Yet ripe. and 70 cover
ard thus cause 20 terminate ripe seeds.
and blowing later In the fau often kills
many weeds and avoids their bothering
the next crop OF small grain. Large
weeds growing IN the FAX should be pull
Ell ont ny hand.
About three pecks % fax seed ia re-
auired per acre. and the seed should be
planted one or two inches deep. II pays
20 have the seed heI fine In corn stalk
stuhhie The seed car best - put in with
hroaA~azr seNaer anf covered by means
81 corn cultivator or disc ia ". or u
NAV be seeded with a hoe drill ne cham
shoe drill or the 2sess shoe dTill Is ess,
sr r,lgzxa.4 land whNre there "a TO trash.
Nest harvesie~ machine companies MAXI
a FAX dump. which goes on the harvester
ia MACE ef tire binder. and simply dumps
the fax in loose bundles These bundles
y-sv - showed over a little that the
heads utlI be exposed 70 become thorough
IL drv ard brittle The self-rske reaper
also can BE- used 30 place the fax IL CAV
els and II is hot a had plan n dry
section % bind the FAX and s3ocks WITH
out caps.
The weak rotat in the FAX business IN
ma Northwest H. tnat we threSn II IN
such a manner that the fiber Ia orok en-
into short pieces and FliDed. except Ter
t.fsaosstsrers' tox. for which purpose u
brings only a low price We import large
quantities Of dDeT from other states and
ether countries. with "a hica % bind our
grain and even oar FAX Besides this,
F~~ A. 80