The Hope pioneer., 1895-12-20

almost any other crop. 1t is even sus-
pected that there is some peculiar me-
chanlcal or chemical effect, possibly
due to bacteria in relation to the flax
which is injurious to future crops Of
wheat, and especially future crops Of
HAN AS matter Of fact, where corn.
mlllet potatoes or other rank feeding
crops follow flax, especially if the land
bc manured, there is doubtless no
moro harm from Il flax crop than q
crop of wheat. Though it does seem,
as we ordinarily manage blowing ard
the preparation of flax stubble land,
that Wheat and other coarse grain does
not do so we'll after these crops as
after other small grains.
Varieties of flax have been intro.
duced into this country from Russia
and other European countries. Con-
siderable Of this seed is scattered over
the Northwest and is coming into gem
eral use. 1t looks like the ordinary
flax both in plant and seed, except
that the seed is somewhat larger. 1t
is generally believed that this flax
yields better than the ordinary Amcri-
can flax, as it is called. In number
of experiments in flax, however, the
writer has not found anything that
yields very much better than the COM
mon flax. The use of flax has how
reached such an important place that
varieties should be produced suited to
our own conditions by careful sclcc-
ton and seed breeding The writer
has no knowledge of Il large supply Of
flax which he could recommend for
seed as compared with other flax. We
have no class of field seeds with which
II n 1., 1n t,,I 10
purity as in the selection of flax,
Owing to the small size and rather
heavy weight of the flax seed ii is
very difficult to separate from them
many of the common weed seeds, such
as mustard, pigeon grass, French weed,
RllSSlln thistle, tumble mustard and q
host of others which should be kept
entirely off the farm. The best way
to select 'llN is TO hunt up Il field at
harvest time and pick out the flax
when Standing to see that it is grown
on clean land and make purchase ut
that tine. Many weeds can be taken
out OF the flax, but it is only with
special machinery and with 4 large
amount of work that some Of
the seeds above enumerated can be
entirely gotten rid OF. One half dozen
stalks of mustard in Il field Of flax
may escape notice and each produce
many seeds, and there will be many
weeds in the field the next year. Flax
needs about the same kind Of land
to do we'll as does wheat, and the
kind of preparation needed is about
the same. The Scrdbcd should be
rather solid, as that formed by early
fall ploWing, by corn or potato land
kept clean until fall and then not
ploWed, or by summer following. Flax
will do fairly we'll on spring blowing,
on new breaking, and especially will
it will do well on back setting or on
summer plowcd timothy sod. Good
seed, clean of all weed seeds, planted
on the best soil, has produced moro
money per acre than wheat. The
seed should be planted about two
thirds the depth to plant wheat, and
may be planted from the middle or
last of wheat seeding time to az
late as corn planting time, though
medium early planting generally gives
the best results. Plants will stand
some frost and still make Il crop,
though, as many experienced last
spring, the hard frosts either killed
out or materially reduced the yields.
AS yet we are growing flax for seed,
but there is a strong probability that
ere long the fiber will be saved for
ropes. twncs, and even medium and
coarse cloth products. We are now
burning our flax straw and nanufac-
turing fiber from foreign materials
with which to bind our wheat and
even our flax. Machinery is being in
vented to thresh flax without Destroy
ing the straw, and it is with these
a few hnnna hot Ia t;o,
will be accomplished along this line.
There are a few factories already
starting up where the straw is kept
straight by simply threshing off the
heads from the bundles by sticking
only the head of a bundle in the cylin-
der, then throwing the bundle aside
20 be retted and made into a pretty
good class Of fiber. Numerous factor
les throughout the West are using
fax straw for making tow for the
use Of upholsterers, but this demand
Is comparatively easily satisfied az
soon as the fiber can be SO threshed
that it is kept straight and not broken
up as with the ordinary spike thrcsh-
Ing cylinder and made into cOrdagcs
and coarse fabrics it can be used to
great advantage to growers and manu-
facturcrs. The retting can be accom-
plished in large tanks in 4 building,
where the rctting can be done very
rapidly by having the water somewhat
warmer than where the rctting in
streams ana lakes is practiccd.
For seed alone flax should be sOWn
from Onchalf to three pcckS per acre,
and should be SOWn in drills with Ordi-
nary grain drilling machine. For
fiber, however, or for fiber and seed
combined, SOW one to two and one
half bushels, and the land should be
very nicely prepared both as to fine
ness and sInoothncSs, and should also
be rather compact, and the grain sOwn
broadcast. Flax pulling machines are
being Invented, and it is believed these
machincs will soon be beyond the ex-
rcrincntal stage. Where the fiber Is
to be saved either by pulling machines,
pulling by hand or cut off close to
the ground with the self binder, it
is important that the ground be level,
smooth and rather compact. that the
wheels of the machine will not sink
deeply into it. Many farmers use the
flax dump on ordinary self-bnding
machines This is very simple de-
vice of some Stats or fingers which
hold the bundle. and when filled the
bundle is dropped by hand or by foot
lever. Where the fiber is to he used,
it is best to use the self-bndinS at
tn 1cImpnt that thn fihrr NAV Ln kent