The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1911-07-13
HIGH QUALITY FLAX
II 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.
by ALVIN KEYsER. Colorado Agri.

by ALVIN KEYsER. Colorado Asri-
cultural Collegel
The high prices which have pre-
vailed for fax seed have been due to
the extreme shortage Of the crop in
1910.
Flax may be grown under irrigation
Or on the dry land In proper condi-
tons. II Is one Of the promising
cash crops for dry land In normal
seasons, on properl, prepared soils,
II Will probably average from 12 to
Is bushels TO tie acre.
Flax grows best upon a moist. well
compacted seed bed. II grows better
on loan and clay soil than on sandy
soil. but will produce good crops on
fertile. sandy lands. Flax makes
good sod crop under proper conditions
When grown upon sod. the breaking
should be done when the sod is moist
to a depth OF two and a half ~ three
Inches. The breaking should be
rolled down perfectly fat, 80 as to
make good contact with the subso.l,
the rolling being done Immediately
after the breaking. After rolling, the
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 a 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. It should
only be planted upon lands which are
clean and free from weeds II the
land is plowed. II 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 fax 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. 1. 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. tho
/ pile should be shoveled over as con.
crete is mixed 20 thoroughly mix the
seed. The sprinkling and shoveling
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 up
with canvas or gunny sacks or some
similar material, and left for two
hours, after which 1t may be planted
at once. II It cannot be planted at
once. It 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
1st to the 10th Of May in most parts
of the state. The seeding should be
done by press drill. using about
twenty pounds Of plump, treated seed
to the acre The seeding should be
done a uniform depth to insure uni
form ripening.