:U0 A(j)lci(llaral Gazetle oj XM.W. lApril "i, VdO'6. 



tlie opiTutui' i.-^ al)l(' to ,iu(l,i,M' to u nicety lln' jirci^rt'ss and tinisli of tlic utirk. 

 As it is exceedinqjly du^ty work, ventilaticm stacks ai-e pinvidcd with hoods 

 co\'('i-inL;- each wheel. ;ind an air Mast eai'i'ies dll' all dn^t and li,L,dit matter. 

 In lli'li^inni it is a eoniinon practice t) di\ide tlie sciiti'hinu,' ptdcoss into two 

 oi- three periods, placing the lihre in cold storage (hning the rest period 

 bi'tween the sciitehings. This niclhi'd nt woi-k is said ti give fle.\il)ilit\- and 



"Hfe" to the fibre. 



Sorting, Baling, and Grading. 



The sciilcliing ]iroeess results in cleaning the lihre of all the woody matter, 

 and while this is being acconiplislied the operator throws the tlax into 

 separate piles, according to Ids judgineiit of (piality. Tt is then tiecl into 

 small bundles and tinally baled, each bale being supposed to contain fihi'e of 

 e(pial ipiality as to market value. Tt is baled under pressure into small 

 bundles appi-o\iniat ing l'<)0 lb. 'Tlie best (jualities of fibre are usually 

 encased in covers of coarse guiuiy sackiiii,', and ea<-h bale is marked to indicate 

 its grade oi' (pialitv before it is allowe I to be placed OJi the market. This 

 is (lone in the large warerooms by opening tlie bales sutiicientlv to draw 

 samples of the fibre. 



The writer often saw- the ])rocess of grading in operation. In the 

 NetJierlands the tests applied are such as can only be made by those who have 

 liad long association with fibre work. It was observed that in all types of the 

 finest libre grader? the fibre strands were perfectly free from woody <)i" extra- 

 neous matter and entanglement. The best types were usually of a pale-grey 

 colour, shading slightly to a light gc^lden-greenish cast. If too raw or green in 

 colour, the fibre may represent an insufficient I'etting and degumming. If too 

 white, it is found to have lost pliability, life, and j^ei'haps strength. Very 

 dark'gi'ey types of fibre, such as is usually sold b\- the IJussian peasantrv, 

 i-epresent undue retting and exposure to weather, whereby much sti-ength 

 and plial)ilitv are lost before the process of artificial lileaching mav bring 

 the fibre back to a usable fui'in. 



Flax Diseases. 

 The fiax crop gives a fair yield upon new land, but if allowed to follow 

 itself year after year sooti ceases to be profitable, — for the crop dies away to 

 such an extent that there is not sulUcient stand left to i)ay for the work. 

 The soil is then said to be "fiax-sick" or "exhausted " for flax culture. It 

 lias ])cen deinonstratd at the North hakota Agricultural Experiment 

 Station that the trouble is not primarily with the soil, — that the scjil is not 

 chemically exhausteil, but that the troulile is due rather to the ]iresence in 

 the soil of micro-organisms. 



Varieties of Field Flax. 



Considerable attention has been given by the writer to the question of the 

 existence of fixed varieties within the species known as Lrnnm nsifafitii^innan, 

 the common field fiax. Most practical growers throughout Europe, and 

 especially in IJussia, contend that there are no absolutely fixed varieties. 

 Numerous ol)ser\ati(>ns made in the difl'erent countries, however, concerning 



