The Raymer enterprise., 1911-06-08
HIGH QUALITY FLAX
It Is One Of Most Promising
Crops for Dry Land.
Grows Better on Loan and Clay Soil
Than on Sandy and Makes Good
Sod Crop Under Proper
Conditions.
tRy ALVIN KEYsER, Colorado Asri.

tBy ALVIN KEYsER. Colorado Agri-
cultural College.)
The high prices which have pre-
vailed for fax seed have been due to
the extreme shortage of the crop in
1910.
Fltx may be grown under irrigation
or OF the dry land in proper condi.
tionr. 1t is one Of the promising
cash crops Tor dry land. In normal
seas ons. on properly prepared soils.
1t will probably average from 12 to
1S bushels to the acre.
Flax grows, best upon a moist, we'll
compacted seed bed. It grows better
on loan and clay soil than on sandy
soil. but will produce good crops on
fertile. sandy l,nds. Flax makes
good sod crop under proper conditions
When grown upon sod. the breaking
should be done when the sod is moist
to depth of two and a half 10 three
inches. The breaking should be
rolled down perfectly fiat, 30 as to
make good contact with the subsoil,
the rolling being done Immediately
after the breaking. After rolling, tho
breaking should be narrowed length
wise once or twice to produce a mulch
at the surface.
Flax may then be planted upon
this prepared sod land, using twenty
pounds Of good. plump seed 10 the
acre. The planting may preferably
be done with disk press drill. plant
ing from one to two inches In depth,
depending upon soil conditions
Whether planted upon new land or
upon old lands. the soil should be
moist in the spring to insure success.
II planted upon old lands. 1t should
only be planted upon lands which are
clean and free from weeds. II the
land Is plowed. 1t should be plowed
very early to permit, thorough compac.
tion before planting. Flax may be
planted upon corn stubble by simply
disking and narrowing the surface.
Only the brightest, plumpest and
cleanest seeds should be planted, as
fax diseases may be carried by
shrunken nax seed. To prevent
bringing in fax diseases. seed should
be treated with formaldehyde. The
treating solution is made by adding
one ounce Of 40 per cent formaldehyde
to two and half gallons Of water and
stirring thoroughly to mix. This
amount Of solution is sufficient to
treat five bushels Of seed, L. e., one.half
gallon will treat one bushel Of seed.
The seed should be placed on the
floor in pile, or upon canvas. and
sprinkled. After the springling, the
pile should be shoveled over as con.
crete is mixed to thoroughly mix the
seed. The sprinkling and shovellng
should be repeated four or five times,
or until all the seed Is thoroughly
moist on the outside. After treat.
ment, the seed should be covered no
with canvas or gunny sacks or some
similar material. and left for two
hours, after which It may be planted
at once. II 1t cannot be planted at
once. 1t should be spread out and
thoroughly dried.
Seeding should be done as early in
the spring as possible and escape hard
frosts. The time will vary from the
lst to the 10th Of May in most parts
OF the state. The seeding should be
done by a press drill. using about
twenty pounds Of plump. treated seed
to the acre. The seeding should be
done uniform depth to insure uni
form rlpening