Jpril 2, 1908.] Agricultui^al Gazette of N.S.W. 301 



standard of excellence, he must cease to buy seed of unknown quality, and 

 must |)rouef-d to grow the crop from seed of known pedigree. Experiments 

 with farm crops have for a number of years shown that cops in their 

 climatic environment do not degenerate by being grown for a long time upon 

 the same type of S'>il. Tlie cause of weakening depends upon other features 

 which are not pi-operly considered. The Dutch grower persists in sowing 

 the seed thick upon the ground in order to give the fine type of fibre-straw. 

 He also pulls the straw while yet somewhat immature, that he may procure 

 what he considers the best grade of fibre. The result is that each year the 

 seed becomes weaker and weaker. Those who are in the business of growing 

 fibre flax can well afford to set aside a piece of gi-ound in order to jjroduce 

 a suflicient quant' ty of thoroughly matured seed of a pure type with which 

 to seed their lands. 



The quantity of seed sown to the acre throughout each particular flax- 

 growing region is fairly uniform. The Russian growers, who sow the crop 

 for oil-production, approximate very closely one-half bushel of good seed per 

 acr^". The- Dutch, Belgian, and Russian growers of fibre flax sow very 

 unif >rmly 8 to 10 pecks of seed per acre, according to the strength of the 

 land and the moistui-e conditions which the crop can stand. The Russian 

 seed costs Hollanders approximately from $2-50 to $4 per acre, because, 

 before sowing, great caie is taken to grade out everything but the very 

 plumpest and best seeds. 



Because of its capability of absorbing water and of its oil content, flax 

 seed is nf such a nature as to I'eadily lose its viability. Tt is particularly sus- 

 ceptible to injury by heating in the bin, by exposure to high dry-storage 

 temperature--, or by exposure to slight amounts of moisture under conditions 

 of low temperature. As the young plants are very susceptible to the action 

 of moulds and other fungi which attack the seedlings and the mother seeds 

 at the time of germination, it is of great importance that the seed should be 

 S'ored dry, so that the spores of such fungi cannot gain a hold upon the 

 seed. Flax seed for sowing purposes should, therefore, be harvested dry and 

 stored in a cool dry jalace. 



The Land 



lu America flax-growers make little distinction as to what type of soil 

 they select on which to grow the crop. Speaking generally, the farmers- of 

 the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Russia follow the same course. Th6 

 writer's observations show that the kinds of soil upon which the crop reaches 

 the standard of perfection are very uniform in all regions, though fair crops 

 may be raised upon soils of a great diversity of types. 



For the fibre crop the texture of the upper layers of soil should be such as 

 to give a fiiiely-compact surface, well drained, but of sufiiciently sardy and 

 lofimy nature to allow the first growths of the root system of the young plant 

 to be rapid ; and yet it should nob be so loose as to cause rapid drying, or so 

 compact as to cause Ijaking and cracking. A feature of the greatest import- 

 ance is that there should be a heavy, rather compact subsoil, capable of 



