The Ordway new era., 1912-04-12
LARGE CROP OF FLAX
rs, 900 Bushels Raised on $500
Acres in Northwest.
Saskatchewan Farmer Olives His Meth.
ods Of Securing Big vleid-Ade-
quats Power 10 Given a. Ono
Of First EsentIais.

Fred Engen OF Saskatoon. sas-
katchewan. who harvested $4,000 bush.
els Of fax last year from $500 acres.
writes Dry Farming Of his methods.
a. follows:
I'VE built q box eight feet by three
feet wide for each drill In this we
put four bushels Of fax In the end.
We used two gallons Of formaldehyde
solution. according to the usual
directions. to the four bushels. We
used kasomining pump sprayer to
spray the solution on the fax. and
with one man standing at the oppo-
site end. OF the seed box and stirring
tho fax seed as the solution was
sprayed on 1t over into the empty
space in the box. When the solution
was thus sprayed on the flax we
covered the box with blanket for
three-quarters of an hour: then we
stirred the fax again. and after Is
or 20 minutes It was ready for the
drill. This L. an easy method OF
treating fax. and | believe 1t Is the
most convenient
The soil upon which l grew $4,000
bushels OF fax Is a very heavy clay.
Tho breaking was done In the fore
summer. and the ground was properly
disked and narrowed. and last spring
We went over It with q double har-
row before we started seeding. Our
seed was grown at Zealandia and
Delisle on new land. and was very
clean. We started seeding on April
-. and used rs pounds to the acre.
Our fax averaged 20 bushels to the
acre.
my experience In farming has led
mo to the conclusion that the gen
eral impression regarding our sea
sons shortness for the production Of
our small grain without injury by
frost Ia more or less an error charge.
able to the lack Of power employed
In farming operations. wish to
draw attention to the fact that !
started to seed flax on April "a. II
had had four engines with five drills
to each engine I would have been
able to have had my four sections in
in five days. whereas 1t was May 90
came the first fax sown was cut
three weeks before the last sown. and
therefore 1t is manifest that II | had
sown that acreage in five days !
would have had fully three weeks
advancement in the commencement
OF threshing. II one measures the
working power employed with the
acreage under cultivation one will
find that 1t Is utterly inadequate. II
n man has only a yoke Of cattle and
farms an acreage accordingly he Is
surely better on than covering a
large amount Of ground without any
payable results.
"It has been my experience that all
the land which have worked proper
ly and seeded quickly when the
spring has opened up has given not
ordinary results. but abundant. and
II We could only learn to farm half
the quantity. unles. We have surplus
power, our results would furnish no
such disappointments as they have
done this last season in many cases.
II sowed fax two to three and a
half inch deep. or course 1t might
sons, but | shall take my chance of
sowing deep and early and sowing 1t
as quickly as possible. and be abreast
with the season.
II passed my fax. which was
shipped from my own elevator.
through a cleaner twice. II any more
cleaning Is necessary the purchaser
has to do 1t himself.
"As to breaking and seeding fax in
the spring: This in my opinion Is n
doubtful work. but II undertaken it
should be four inches deep. which
will give 1t fair depth to disk. but
after the breaking one should use a
heavy packer Immediately after the
plow If one has depth enough the
seeders should follow the packer. and