t> 



.1. V. Eyrk and E. a. FisiiEii 123 



not found possible to obtain concordant results with the less ripe 

 samples although such was not the case with the fully ripe seed. 

 Presumably this is due to the rapidity with which oil is accumulated 

 in the seed during the earlier stages of ripening — during the period 

 represented by the more rapidly rising portion of Ivanofi's graph. 

 During this period of development a shght difference in maturity 

 would have a relatively large eilect on the oil content and this is indicated 

 by the different results obtained with the three samples of seed in 

 group B. During the later stages of development, in which the oil- 

 forming processes slow up. more concordant results were obtained, as 

 e.icemplified by group C, while in the final stages oil formation has almost 

 ceased and consequently the oil content remains practically constant. 



It is evident that, taken generally, these results are quite in harmony 

 with those of Ivanoff. 



Further evidence on this point is afforded by the fact that whenever 

 imported flax seed is grown in this country as a linseed crop the oil 

 content of the seed obtained invariably approximates to that of the 

 parent seed ; and this in spite of the fact that in the latter case the seed 

 is allowed to ripen before the crop is harvested, and in the former case 

 the crop is harvested in an unripe condition. Thus a sample of white 

 flowering Dutch seed, grown in Holland as a flax crop, and pulled early, 

 the seeds being allowed to ripen in the stook, contained 35-49 % of oil. 

 This sample, grown at Wye in 1913 as a linseed crop, gave seed containing 

 35-08 % oil: and that grown at Harper- Adams Agricultural College in 

 Shropshire had 36-71 % of oil. 



Comparison of English grown and imported linseed. 



It has been maintained by some writers that EngUsh grown linseed 

 is inferior to that grown in the better known linseed growing countries. 

 Thus J. A. Voelcker^ states that although English grown linseed stands 

 very fairly as regards oil content, it is neither superior nor equal to the 

 best grown foreign seed and in support of this contention quotes the 

 following figures which were obtained from various sources : 



Black Sea 



Bombay 



St Petersburg 



Alexandria 



Riga 



Further he stated that he had been unable to find any instance of 

 English grown Knseed that was better than the foreign linseed, and 



1 Journal of Farmers" Club, 1897, p. 65. 



