The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1896-02-07


fore, to sell his products at the
price which the Indian grower will
sell, and to buy all he needs in the
dearest market in the world.
When all clothing, tools and furn-
ishings are absurdly raised in price
for the-enrichment of small classes,
and this at the cost Of the farmers,
who are shut out from buying in
the cheap markets, in which, how
ever, they are compelled to sell
their wheat.
For these and other reasons it
would seem of the utmost impor
tance to the Scotch farmer, as we'll
as to the American, that new trades
should be encouraged, against
which India cannot so readily com.
pete. Flax is precisely suited to
your country. 1t grows it now.
only the most valuable part Of the
crop is wasted. | will as shortly
as | can show the whole process,
and it is SO simple that, like sun
shine, it is really difficult to de-
scribe:
"In Scotland, then, we choose
clean land in good health. Peas,
oats, then fax does best. We keep
the land as free from weeds as pos.
slble, as the wedding Of fax is cost
| ly. Land in river bottoms, land
moist and dampish, land which
grows good, long grass is best for
fax. The land should be fine
mold, and, after being ploughed
and narrowed, should be rolled flat
to obliterate all trace of the drills.
The fax should be sown in April,
just a little after oats. The seed
should be carefully tested, 100
should be counted, sown upon
wet, moist rag, and if rs per cent
germinate d bushels will be re-
quired for an acre; if 85 per cent
the two bushels or a little more is
sufficient. The fax should be
sown broadcast on the rolled field,
then slightly narrowed It will
show thick on the ground, and in
Scotland, we weed it. But good
farmers are able to have their land
in such condition that they do not
require to spend much on wedding.
When fax is ripe it will show vel
low half way up the stalk. 1t
should not be allowed to be dead
ripe. Note wellthat the fax should
not be in drills, but should stand
close together, so that the stems
may be tall like a rod, with the flow
ers in a clusture on the top. The
fax should not branch out like a
tree in park but rather like tall
trees in a forest, free from branch
till they reach the top. The fax
may be either pulled or cut. If
cut it would be diffiult to handle,
as the bolls interlace, and then a
good many valuable inches are lost.
The flax should be pulled and tied
i up in small sheaves with its own
( strand, and set up in stocks, Then
it must be rippled. Let the farm
er get an iron comb, only Of iron
wire, the prongs IA inches long
and ! Of an inch apart: fit this in
a frame on log; let two men set
astride, face to face as on horse
back, the comb sitting between
them. The flax is now lifted Ill
handfuls and drawn through the
comb; the bolls will start off and
should be allowed to fall on big
sheet or on the warm floor. Now,
the bolls are of great value. Note
| we'll, the husk or pod is of much
| value as the seed, for feeding and
| the seed should not be used with
out the husk. The husk has many
| valuable properties. Itinsures the
| complete digestion Of the oily seeds
| it compels cattle to chew the cud;
and it gives tonic, bitter, astrin-
| gent quality to the food. The bolls
| must, therefore, not be flung away
| as chaff The best methods Of prep.
aration is to dry them with care,
| and use them in cooked food with
a little salt, say seven pounds o
barley to one pound of bolls. They
90 splendidly, crushed with Indiar
corn, in the same proportion. Th'
farmer will find that poultry, miicl
COWS, horses and cattle, all grow
glossy and beautiful when fed with
Il mixture of, say, one pound o
bolls to five or seven pouns Of corn
Or the bolls can be crushed O
: ground and then heated, and press
ed in bags. The oil sprinkled IN
dry hay is great boon to cattle
where there is no turnips. Away
have salt, however, and plenty 0
, pure water for cattle.
The remains Of the crushed seed
are "oil cake" which today sells a
AS much per pound as wheat. s
highly do Scottish farmers valu
, "oil cake" In a country wher
r cattle are raised, fax should b
] grown on every farm, at least
few acres. So much for the bolIt
| Then as to the straw. The me
ment the balls are off, the stra,
should be again tied up in smal
bundles, square and neat at th
! root end. IF possible, the farme
! should have a pond or ditch full I
/ water which is soft and which ha
i the rays Of sun pouring into it fo
] some weeks Into this pond pac