PROCESS OF GROWING AND PREPARING FLAX. 1QQ 



4. Seed and Seeding Time. — Good Riga seed is Viighlj valued in 

 Belgium, and although the farmers, in some sections, raise their 

 own seed, j-et at most places they use partly foreign seed, regard- 

 ing such as stock seed, in order to raise from it good seed crops, 

 and besides they use it especially for early seeding. The first seed 

 crops from Riga seed is called rose-seed, and this is deemed most 

 excellent, and sometimes better than the Riga seed itself, because 

 it produces a fine and flexible article, and is said to yield more flax. 

 The seed grown next still yields a satisfactory crop ; but after that 

 a change has to be made again. This is don§ partly by bring-ing 

 seed grown upon an inferior, poorer soil, into a more powerful and 

 richer one. A change of linseed from eastern to western sections 

 is believed to be advantageous, but not vice versa. A just suspi- 

 cion prevails in Belgium that much deception is practiced in the 

 trade with Riga seed, by selling Sealand seed for Riga seed. The 

 price per ton, 34 to 36 francs, for pretended Riga seed would seem 

 to be a good reason for this suspicion, since in Westphalia the ton 

 costs 14 to 16 Reichstaler. A criterion of the Riga seed is, that 

 the grains are very pointed, and that there is some seed of weeds 

 amongst it. As to the quantity of seed, three tons of Riga seed 

 are calculated for about five Russian acres. 



The seed crop is considerable in Belgium, since the drying of the 

 flax before working it in any other way, of which we shall treat 

 hereafter, furthers the ripening of the seed, so that generally the 

 whole of it attains its perfect germinating power. 



Seeding is done in Belgium as early as possible. If the weather 

 and the natural condition of the soil admit, seeding begins as early 

 as the middle of March. On cold, wet soil, the seed is sown 

 somewhat later ; but at beginning of May seeding is done every- 

 where. In order to seed so early, the field is laid into small beds 

 by deep furrows in the fall, because in this way the water flows off 

 the more readily during the winter, the field dries off sooner, and 

 thus is better prepared for an earlier reception of the seed. 



Early seeding has the following advantages : 



The plant is less exposed to the devastations by the spring-tail, 

 (insect.) 



The young plant does not suffer from a severe drouth, and grows 

 thriftily, by an increasing warmth in summer. 



The flax grows stronger, and does not fall so easily. 



A finer and more uniform crop. 



A larger yield. 



