J. V. Eyre and E. A. Fisher 1-Jl 



of Ivanoff^ however goes to prove that this view is erroneous and that 

 there is little difierence in oil content between the seed from the fibre 

 crop, i.e. flax seed, and that from the linseed crop ; and this has been 

 confirmed by the present writers. 



Our results indicate that the only difference between the seed from 

 the fibre croj) and that from the linseed crop is one of yield, there being 

 little difference in oil content between the two kinds. This is important 

 because it indicates that by harvesting early the best quality fibre may 

 be obtained without materially lessening the oil content of the seed and 

 consequently the value of that commodity. For the only rational way 

 of valuing linseed is on its oil content; oil per acre from the farmer's 

 point of view ; oil per ton from the factor's point of view. In conse- 

 quence of the increased demand for Unseed oil it cannot be emphasised 

 too strongly that both farmer and factor must sell or buy linseed on 

 an oil basis and the farmer would do well to realise that this is the only 

 possible basis on which he can sell his crop ; that he is, in other words, 

 growing oil rather than seed. 



The main object of the present communication is to point out the 

 varieties of linseed best suited to English conditions and giving the 

 largest yield of oil per acre, and also to ascertain the effect of artificial 

 manures on the oil content of the crop produced. 



The possibility of harvesting Knseed of high oil content from a line 

 crop becomes apparent from Ivanoff's work already referred to on the 

 oil-forming processes occurring in oil-bearing seeds. Ivanoff developed 

 the subject from the plant physiologist's point of view and did not 

 concern himself with the agricultural or economic aspect, but his work 

 is nevertheless of considerable interest agriculturally. He estimated 

 the oil present in the linseed at different periods after flowering and 

 his results for one series of determinations with a crop grown in 1910 are 

 shown in the accompanying table and graph. 



An examination of these results shows that for the first two weeks 

 after flowering the seed material contains very little oil. After this 

 comes another period of two weeks during which the formation of oil 

 takes place with great rapidity. During the last two or three weeks 

 the increase in oil content was found to be extremely small, amounting 

 to. only about 2-5 % increase in three weeks, whereas the increase during 

 the previous two weeks amounted to more than 21 %. The optimum 

 oil formation, therefore, occurs exactly in the middle of the period 

 between flowering and final ripening, and the results seem to indicate 



1 Beihefie zum Bot. Ceuirb. Band xxvm. Heft 1, pp. 159-191 (Jan. 1912). 



