The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-11-28
HANDLING OF FLAX
UNDER The
SNOW
Prof. Bolley Tells How to
Thresh and Handle Flax
in the Snow.

The following interesting discus
sion of %"Threshing Flax From the
Snow" by Prof. II. l.. Bolley, will be
of special interest:
have received letters from farmers
asking how best to handle flax that is
at present buried under snow. The
ollowl one Is a good example,:
"Rosetown. Sask..
Nov. 12, 1911.
Dear Sir: Owing to the early
snowfall and the scarcity of threshing
outfits in this district, I have been left
with so acres of flax lying under the
snow. / shall esteem it a favor If you
Will inform me whether it would be
advisable to stack this flax 0 to
thresh in the spring, or whether it
would be better to let it lie as it is
until the spring and stock thresh it
then. may say that the flax was wet
before n snow came and this mois-
ture will have frozen on it.
1t will be a great service to the
of this district If you will
best thing to do under the circum-
stances.
Yours faithfully,
Robert Miskell."
[ have not been able to lay down
any definite rules for procedure with
regard to threshing flax after a snow
ali. for the reason that it is a neigh
borhood condition and on almost every
farm the conditions are somewhat diff
1erent. Sometimes the flax was thor
oughly ripe and ready to thresh when
snow came: sometimes the flax was
cut green with lots Of green foliage
on 1t. and WAS not ready to thresh
when the heavy freeze and snow
came on.
In most cases, as in the case above,
the snow was preceded by ain SO tina
ice formed on the straw and bolls be-
tore the flax was showed under. In
genera ! would answer as follows:
II the flax was we'll mature and the
straw was dry before the snow came.
n II there We're not too much ice
formed on h stems. leaves and bolls
before the snow fell. 1 believe thai l
would. as many farmers did last VIM
ter, continue their ttreshing opera
tons during the cold weather before
the snow is moistened up by taawing
ana rains. To do this will not be pos
IN most cases the snow is not SO deep
tllat one cannot shake the flax straw
out; The first operation would be to
snake out the flax with forks, and
stook 1t up into small loose cocks. In
n absence of q large amount Of ac-
suo! ice OIL STRAW. lOOSc mature flax
shaken out of the loose dry snow, will
lhresh all right in the cold weather.
Inc person who undertakes to save
me gram must make up his mind to
nave a large storage place where the
seed may DC handled over and the
large chunks OF ice screened out by
means OF tanning mill or other grader.
In case flax was cut green and
frozen up before it was dry and in
case the flax was wet by heavy rains
just previous to the snow. | think l
Would be inclined to follow the meth
od as recommended by Mr.. Miskell,
VIZ. as soon as snow goes off in the
spring to shake up the flax and dry it
IN the winds of March and April. Put
1t into loose stocks and thresh it from
stock as soon as dry before the early
warm rains set in.
1t will. | think. be seen. from these
considerations, that no one can give
advice which will fit all cases. The
particular farmer will need to go into
his fields and study conditions. If he
can shake out the flax with the loose
Dry snow on it, he should thresh at
flrst opportunity, because every day
that It remain on the ground lessons
his chance of saving the crop. If it
should come an early wet spring with
but few drying days in March and
April. the chances OF saving the grain
will be slight.
AS a matter Of encouragement 1
may say there havc been manys samples