200 Note on Experiments with Flax 



were gi-owing close together. The event showed that flax is perfectly 

 self-fertile. The seeds of the three tall plants gave in 1912 rows of 

 plants most of which were of the 4 foot class. Many plants of course 

 did not reach this height and there were several small plants, but 

 I have little doubt that the smaller plants were merely prevented from 

 reaching their full development by crowding. The subject seemed 

 to be unsuitable for accurate investigation without very elaborate 

 precautions to ensure uniformity of conditions and it was treated 

 simply as a matter of economic interest. The height reached varies 

 greatly with the nature of the soil and the spacing. In 1913 the seeds 

 from the tall strain (bagged) gave plants averaging 4 ft. 6 in. with indi- 

 viduals .5 feet high, but this increase was obviously due to the ground 

 chosen having suited them better; for the 1914 crop, similarly raised 

 fiom them, was grown on inferior land and for the most part did not 

 fully reach 4 feet. The 1915 crop, similarly raised from these, put on 

 the land used in 1911 gave a very level crop 4 feet high. 



The seed from the plants of 1914 which were not covered was 

 collected in mass and sent to Mr F. K. Jaekson, of the Leeds University 

 Flax Experiment Station at Selby. In his Report for 1915 he says 

 that after rain came at the end of June this flax " began to grow 

 vigorously, and in a fortnight had outstiipjied all other varieties in 

 the field, so that by harvest it was fi-i>m 9 to 12 inches taller and much 

 superior in (|uality." The weight of ciop with the seed on was reckoned 

 at 1 ton 13 cwt., that of the next best flax on the same land being 

 1 ton 8 cwt. 1 qr. 



Evidently many points of genetic importance could be studied in 

 this case by accurate methods. In 1915 Miss M. R. Michell began 

 such work here, making crosses between plants of various heights, etc. 

 Meanwhile it is to be noted that, as the result of our experience, the 

 raising of a tall strain of flax is a very ea.sy matter, anrl can be done by 

 simple selection of materials already existing in common crops. I may 

 add that at Selby in an ordinary crop growing on agricultural land 

 I saw several individual ])]ants clearly belonging to the tall strain, 

 reaching about 4 feet. 



To what extent crossing takes place under natural conditions 

 I cannot say. Most seed presumably is the result of self- fertilisation. 

 I saved seed from a white flowered variety not covered, growing 

 between rows of blue flax, and all the plants except one came white. 

 (There was soiii.e reason also for suspecting that even this one was 

 a stray from the next row: for the plant agreed with that row, which 



