THE CENTRAL CO-OPERATIVE UNION OF FLAX GROWERS 15 



agriculture, linen fibre standing third among articles of export while corn 

 and wood are first and second. 



Flax is grown altogether in twenty-seven provinces and of late years 

 its cultivation has tended to become more and more important. While 

 in the five years from 1901 to 1905 the average area under flax was 1,017,677 

 deciatines (i) in 1913 the area under flax was 1,099,842 deciatines. The 

 progressive increase in the area on which flax is grown becomes more evi- 

 dent if the data for the years from 1901 to 1913 be examined. 



Taele I. — Progressive Increase of the Area under Flax 

 from 1901 to 1913. 



Total Harvesi;. Average Harvest 



Area under Thousands by Deciatine. 



Flax. of Thousands 



Year Deciatines Puds (2) of Puds 



I9OI-I9O5 ..... 1,017,677 19,438,600 19. 1 



1906-1910 (nver^ge) . 1,008,270 29,008,200 28.8 



1909 982,103 22,409,800 22.8 



1910 968,610 19,452,600 20.1 



1911 1,026,378 21,741.200 21.2 



1912 i.039>305 32,455.600 31.2 



1913 1,099,842 31,906,700 29.01 



As appears from this table the years 1909 and 1910 showed a sufficient- 

 h^ marked decrease in the area under flax which resulted in the reduction 

 of both the average and the total harvest. The lack of an organization 

 for the sale of linen fibre aggravated the situation, and the question actually 

 arose as to whether it would not be profitable to supersede flax by more 

 profitable crops. 



The zemstvos were the first to foster this branch of agriculture with 

 every possible care, and they helped it by means of a series of measures. 

 These were the following : 



i) The supply of flax growers with seed of the best quality, a measure 

 which in itself did much to increase production , for the grain of flax easily 

 deteriorates in districts not completely adapted to this form of agriculture. 

 The zemstvos made a provision every year in the best producing districts 

 and resold to growers in other provinces. 



2) The cleansing of the seed which usually was not only mixed as 

 regards quality but also was mixed with grass seed, to the detriment of the 

 quality of the flax since strong was mingled with w£ak seed, and to the in- 

 creasing of labour since it became necessary to weed out the grass from the 

 growing crop several times over. 



3) The purchase of machines and the teaching of modern technique 

 in treating flax. 



4) A campaign against the adulteration or falsification of the product. 



(i) I dedatine = 2.698 acres. 

 (2) I pud = 40 lbs. 



