812 Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. \Jpril 2, 19( 8. 



Yield of Seed. 



TIk' yield of llax seed in tlic American States averages about ll) hiisliels ta 

 the acre. 



Yield of Fibre. 



Ill Irtl.iiid tlie average yield ])er acre of llax for the years 1 SOfJ to 1905^ 

 was 44S 11). : in 1 '■»()(; the yielrl was estimated to be 485 lb. 



The cost of gi-ovvini; and pulling of flax fibji'e at the Oregon Station was. 

 $1") loc. (£.3 '^s. 1?,(1.): and for ploughing, hai-rowiiig. and sow itig, i^J 70c. 

 (£1 ll^.s. Id.) 



In America, the price foi- tlax seed vaiies from S-") cents (.'{s. ('■>},([.) to 

 $1 .oOc. (fis. :kl.) 



Allowing 56 11). of seed per bushel, and taking the general average of yield 

 of flaxseed in the United States at 10 bushels per acre, i.e., 5 ewf., and allow- 

 ing, say, 5s. per bushel as the price obtainable by the faiiiuM- here, £2 lO.s. per 

 acre is realised for the seed, and taking the average yield of Hbre, as ohtaint-d in 

 Ireland, at, say, 4 cwt. at a low price of, say, 16s., per cwt , the retui-n from 

 fibre will be £3 4s. per acre, making a total of £'.") 1 Is per acre. If the 

 fibic, howcwer, is of better quality it nia\' bring ,£30 or £36, oi' even ino'C, 

 per ton, say, 30s. pier cwt ; the total vield will thi-n be £S lOs. per acre, i.''. 

 50s. for se(>d and 1 20s. for fibre. 



On the other hand, the yield of seed may r(>ach, say, 11 bush' Is \)cr acre, 

 which at 5s per bushel equals £3 10s. for seed, and if in such circumstances 

 4 cwt. of fibre can also be obtained at the lower [irice of 16s. per cwt , then 

 the total yield for the crop equals £6 14s. per acre, i.e , 7Us foi' seed and ()4s. 

 for fibre. 



The farmei- niay, however, be growing a thickly-sown crop foi' fibre oidy, 

 and untler such circumstances supposing that 5 cwt. of fibre is obtained, 

 worth, say, 40s. per cwt., then the yield is £l0 per acre from fibre only, 

 and there will be snme seed saved as well. 



Fair to first-class flax evidently brings o,„,(l prices, and in makiTig an 

 estimate at the price of only £16 per ton, it nnist be borne in mind tlie 

 ab ive returns are perhaps too low, and £20 to £.30 and e\eii £40 per ton 

 may at times be obtained for really excellent fibre. 



'{"here is some variation in the weight per bushel of flax seed ; some seed 

 will go up to 60 11). per bushel or over. In Ireland the setd is sold by 

 the barrel or by the stone, and it is hardly advisable to form estimates on a 

 price per bushel uidess the weight of that Ijusliel is made known in the first 

 instance; consequently, 1 have taken the weight at •")() lb., being a halt' cwt. 



At the present time linseed fi'om Calcutta for cruslnng puff oses for fodder, 

 t^'c, may b(> purchased at about 1 Is. per cwt., which is e(iual t) 7s per 

 bushel of 56 lb. The seed locally grown would comjHite against the imi>orted 

 article, and while the above estimated price of 5s. per bu.-hel in the t'xaraples 

 of estimated results may hv low, T am probably safe in saying there is that 

 margin, as between the 5s. 1 have allowed as the price per bushel to 'he 

 farmer, and the value of Calcutta seed at the time of writing, namely, 7s> 

 per bushel of 56 lb 



