The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-04-05

sumption, hut with export sales and
an enlarged domestic demand the en-
tire load has been we'll absorbed, and
by he tire we can harvest another
crop will be pretty we'll out of the way.
The worlds situation on fax is very
strong, stronger than at any time since
1901, and with nothing in sight to
make it weak
Europe's principal sources of supply,
Argentine and India, are both short in
their crops; Argentine with shortage
of % per cent compared with 1905,
and with barely so per cent of the crop
of 1904; the Indian crop is just being
harvested, and it is known that the
drouth at seeding time worked mate
rial damage to the crop. The final crop
figures, which will be published next
month, will show a great shortage
compared with 1905, and this in turn
was only 60 per cent of the 1904 crop
Argentine will not start shipping on
another crop until next January, and
India will not harvest another crop
until March of 1907.
Aside from the foreign situation, the
domestic outlook, of itself, is strong
enough. Consumption is increasing
materially every year, and last years
crop would have been barely sufficient
to supply domestic demands. It will
be remembered that the crop Of 1895
was exceptional in it's large average
yield per acre, and it does not seem
possible that its average yield can be
again duplicated this year. The area
In 1905 was much more than it would
have been were it not that the spring
season was so exceptionally favorable
to a large area Of everything. With
the rapid settlement of the far western
part of North Dakota, the large new
breakings of the past three or four
years are no longer available for fax,
and the trade will hereafter depend
on the product raised from smaller
fields, the twenty, forty or eighty-acre
fields of scattered farms.
The writer has followed statistics
on f1axseed since it first became
prominent crop in the Northwest and
is firmly Of the opinion that the 1906
fall prices for seed will be higher
than they have been before in five
years and much higher than at pres.
ent. Should an accident of any kind
occur to any considerable part of this
years American crop the worlds sta
tistical situation is acute enough to
bring about extravagant prices.
1t is a we'll recognized fact that
fax cannot be grown continuously on
the same field owing to the disease
known as fax wilt. It can, however.
be grown continuously on the same
farm by so rotating the crop as to
bring fax on each field but once in
seven to ten years.
Flax requires a good soil, as it is
not strong feeder, and it does very
well following corn or a grass crop
1t is no harder on the land than is
any grain crop. In fact, there is no
more fertility removed by crop of
flax than by crop of wheat, oats or
barley. Flax is undoubtedly a valu-
able crop as a small portion of the
total grain crop raised. The average
yield in money value per acre has been
In the past larger for flax than for
wheat. 1t also has the advantage of
requiring shorter time to mature
than other grain crops, thus making
1t possible to SOW fax considerably
later in the spring, which is quite
often an advantage.
Barley.
Barley seems to be the tabooed crop
OF the Northwest, yet there is so much
good that can be said in it's favor as a
paying crop that l have been sur
prised at the treatment accorded it by
many farmers. The usual way has
been to SOW it after everything else
was in, or after it was too late to sow
other crops, and to harvest and thresh
It when time could be spared. If
crop is obtained, we'll and good; If
not, charge it up to Providence. This
is entirely the wrong view to take of
barley. There is no cereal grown in
this country that pays better if prop
erly cultivated and cared for. Many
farmers do we'll as it is and if barley
can be raised profitably in the old slip
shod way there is no gainsaying that
II cultivated on scientific principles
the average yield could easily be in
creased five to ten bushels Der acre
and the quality advanced from Is to
SO per cent, thus making the cultiva-
ton OF this cereal second to none.
Barley should never be cut until it
10 full ripe, as unripe barley Is of no
value except as feed. Harvesting
should always be done in dry weather
and, if possible, the harvested crop
should not be exposed to rain or heavy
dew. If fully ripened and reasonably
free from weeds barley can and should
be stacked as soon as cut and permit
ted to sweat in the stack; between
cutting and threshing unless stacked
Is the time when the greatest damage
is commonly done.
When threshing from shock it
should be stored in dry bins and
watched carefully that heating does
not occur while sweating: it should
never be sent to market until after it
hoc