The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-06-17
TWO new and VALUABLE CROPS.
Ninety-day Oats anu Flax Now
Growing at the Exposition
Grounds.
To the Editor of The News ane

To the Editor of The News and
Courier:
Among the crops under cultivation
at the experimental station of the
Agricultural Society there are two
that should be examined at this time
by all farmers who are interested in
these object lessons, which are being
made for the benefit of the agriculture
of the lower part Of the State, under
the direction Of Prof. J. S. Newman,
CT Clemson College. These crops have
about reached maturity and will soon
be harvested. One is ninety-day oats
that was sown on the 10th of March,
and has been ready for harvesting for
the past week, but is being held for
the inspection of DR.. Harven Metcalf,
botanist and bacterologist Of Clemson
College, who is expected early next
week to make an examination of the
various crops now under cultivation
there, and also to visit Cooper River,
where experiments in rice culture are
being carried oD, and James Island,
where work is being done, under Prof.
Newman, in sea island cotton and as
paragus.
The other crop referred to is fax.
This was sown about the same time
as the oats and is now beginning to
ripen the seed. This crop is very lit
tie cultivated in the South, but many
judges of it, who have seen it grow in
Europe and at the North, and Prof.
Newman himself, agree in reporting it
to be quite equal, if not superior, to
any they have ever seen in any coun-
try.
AS fax is not we'll known in the
South, it might be well to call atten-
tion to the fact that while up to the
present time it has been grown in
this country for the seed only, yet it
is largely on the increase. In 1880 the
crop was 100000 bushels; in 1890,
10, 900, 900 bushels, and in 1900, 19, $50,
600 bushels, while the yearbook of the
department of agriculture reports the
whole crop of the world at IS, 500, 600
bushels, of which 29, 600, 600 bushels
were produced in this country, giving
the farm price as varying from 90
cents to s1.51 per bushel for the year
1902. Of this crop 3,S73, coo bushels
wree exported in nine months, the
value being Sc, oao, 600; and of fax seed
cake or meal, which, like cotton seed
meal, is river valuable for stock food,
582, 1856, ,000 pounds were exported, with
a value of ST, 50S, 600.
Heretofore, as mentioned, fax has
been grown in this country mostly for
the seed, which is sold as inseed, but
in Europe it is cultivated for the
fibre, and for this purpose has to be
cut before tho seed natures. Of this
fibre we imported last year 7, 772 tons,
costing s2,095, 600 and on which there
is duty of IS per ton on the straw,
$40 on the tow, s22.40 on the not
hackled or undressed fax, and s67.20
on the hacked, which is known as
dressed line. Within the past year it
is reported that a machine has been
invented that will utilize the fibre
from the stalk when Ithe seed has
ripened. Should this prove practic-
able the value of the fax crop will be
doubled, as both seed and fibre can be
sold, and, with the above. duties on
the foreign fax, the value of the fibre
should be even larger than returns
made from the seed, and if it can be
grown to advantage in this section OF
the conntry should receive the atten-
tion of our farmers. Pro Bono.