302 Agricultural Gazette of N.S. IF. [.iy^r/V 2, ] 908, 



persistPTit letciitioii of moisture. The best types of the filjre crop of the 

 Netlierliiiids ;niil of Uussiii were found upon soils which spfMucd to possess 

 these ^■(Micr.-il cli.njictci'i.stic.s witli a liiif adiiiixt ui'c (if KCJi-saml, L;'i\iiiu a type 

 of surfiici' whicli i-oiil(i staiul a lar^c aiiijuut of walrr without liakiiig aii<l 

 crackiu.i;' ihniiig ])t'rioils of panial diduiflit. 



As pi('\iouslv in(iicat('ii, the iiiattef of fertility seems to be of minor 

 importance. The Uax crop can be grown upon a soil so poor in the chemical 

 elements luvded for plant nutrition that scai'cely any other crop could surceed, 

 provided the ot her and more important conditions an' favourable, in hot, 

 dry re,y;ioTis, where the crop is more connnonly iji'own for seed, the features of 

 the soil which ai'e of extreme iinjioi ^ance are those which ensure a shallow 

 but compact seed-l)P(|, a rapid lirst growth, aiul a steady wa'ei- su])]ily from a 

 heavy underlyinif sid)soil. While i^ood cro})s of seed flax may be grown upon 

 light lands with a gravel subsoil, this can only he expected in years when the 

 .season of boll formation bas an abundance of rainfall or receives its equivalent 

 by irrigation. 



As to the a|ij)lication of manurtvs anil fertilisers, the growers in the Nether- 

 lands do not reconunend barnyard manure U})on lands which are to be used 

 for the ]>rofluction of tibi'e tlax. They claim that this fertiliser jiroduces too 

 much wood in the straw, and thickt^iis the fibre. ^laiiy of the growers who 

 have to deal with lands of light quality that need pushing, apply a light top- 

 dressing of saltyietre at about the blos.soming period. This is said to lengthen 

 the grow th jieriod and to soften and lengthen the straw\ The a])plication of 

 properly composted barnyard manures to the crop wdiicli is l)eing grown for 

 .seed purpo.ses cannot he condemned, as the strong, woody stem in this case is 

 of material b(>nelit in s(^ed production. 



The Seed-bed. 



Great stress is usually placed by l^^nglisli writers on llax culture upon the 

 idea of deep woi'king the soil in pri'paring the seefl-hcd. The wnteis work 

 has shown that this idea is correct where compactness of soil is pid\ ided ; but 

 those who cont(uid for a looseninjj and softeinnji of the seed-bed seem to be 

 wholly in the wi-ong. The one thing that a flax crop cannot stand is a 

 friable, loose-textured soil. Th<^ best Hax soils aiv found to be those with an 

 admixture of very fine sea-sand or silt I'esting ujion a hea\y compact sulisoil. 

 Where the better crops of Belgium, the Netherlands, and norih-wot Paissia 

 are seen growing, the topsoil, with its fine admixture of sand, soon after 

 ])reparation becomes very compact, save only a slight blanket of suiface sand 

 which, worked to the lop by nu-aiis of rain, acts as a mulch or blanket to 

 prevent cracking and baking in jx-iiod of slight drought. 



The charactei' of the soil naturally determines the time for working and 

 [)loughing ; but usually fall ploughing is apt to give the best I'esuits in all 

 those types of soil which tend to become more compact l>y working. In all 

 cases in which the soils after deej) ploughing become^ more thoroughly com- 

 pact by harrowing or top-working, much harrowing is desirable. In very 

 rich, loamy soils, which are liable to become loose and friable by persistent; 



