April2,im8.] Agricidtural Gazette of N.S.W. 303 



workino:, the top-working should be conhmd to the destruction of weeds, and 

 shoukl be stopped at the slightest sign that overwork is tending to looseness, 

 liability to blow, etc. 



The aim is to provide a well-worked undersoil, so as to give it a close 

 texture and continuity for the ascent of water, and at the same time to pro- 

 vide such surface-working as to give a fine, shallow seed-bed. Regardless of 

 traditional theories, observations show that a compact soil underlying a 

 shallow seed-bed of not to exceed 1 inch in depth always gives the best 

 results. The deep jiloughing and working should precede the seeding time 

 just as long as possible, as its value consis's in a proper aeration of the 

 underlying soil for the preparation of food materials for the coining crop. 



Seeding Time. 

 The Rev. J. Lintott Taylor states that in the Orange district of New 

 South Wales the most suitable time for sowing linseed is in the months of 

 March and April. The date varies according to the latitude and climatic 

 features. The rather cool, rapid-growth months of spring and early 

 summer tend to produce long and fine types of fibre. The fibre plant cannot 

 withstand the hardening infiuence of the high dry heat of the late summer 

 months. 



Seeding Methods. 



The methods of seeding for flax are as various as the people who grow the 

 "vop. The lai'ger areas of the Netherlands and Belgium are seeded with 

 ordinary grain-drills, and such machinery is also used upon the largest estates 

 ill Russia, where the crop is grown for oil production. Small areas in all 

 countries are seeded by hand broadcast and harrowed in. Russian peasants 

 broadcast by hand almost exclusively. If evenly cast, it is supposed that all 

 straws are shaded alike, and therefore mature evenly as to fibre. 



The chief merits of any method of seeding must depend upon three points : 

 The seed should be embedded at an even depth — not too deeply — and should 

 be evenly distributed. The brush harrow, as conmionly made by American 

 farmers, gives good results when properly handled ; but no scheme of broad- 

 cast seeding can give the regularity of depth that yields best results with this 

 cro|i. 



Considering entire crops, the best ones are quite the most apt to follow the 

 drill. Regularity of depth in seeding is of the utmost importance with flax, 

 whether planted for oil or for fibre purposes. If the seeds are buried at 

 diff'eient depths there is very great irregularity of first growth, resulting in 

 unequal maturing. With the fibre crop evenness of growth and maturing 

 of the straw is of first importance. 



Crop Rotation. 



With the flax-grower, crop rotation is of great practical importance. He 

 must either rotate or cease to grow the crop. An efl'ort to learn the best 

 possible .system of rotation for flax resulted in showing that among growers 

 there is much confusion of ideas. 



