may well be that, upon the rich soils of Kgypt, a crop of flax does not 

 exert such a severe influence as would be experienced in other localities 

 where less fertile conditions exist. 



In view of the high price of flax, and doubtless to a great extent 

 to the advocacy of flax-growing by an association of growers interested 

 with the provision of the fibre to the French markets, the area under 

 the crop almost doubled itself in the last year, and it is probable that 

 a further extension will be made in the coining winter. The group 

 of growers above referred to have introduced a plant, the seed of 

 which is said to have been obtained from Ireland, which possesses a 

 longer stem than that which lias been cultivated in Egypt from the 

 earliest times. This plant has apparently given good results, although 

 no particulars regarding it have yet been obtainable. 



The experiments conducted during l!)lo-1916 at the Government 

 Farm at (Tiiemmeiza were undertaken with Egyptian seed only, and 

 the primary object was to determine what rate of sowing would pro- 

 duce the best results, both with reference to seed (linseed) and flax ; 

 the method employed in the country being that for obtaining a yield 

 of both together. To this end an evenly conditioned piece of land 

 was prepared measuring one feddan (T038 acres), and was cut up into 

 three sections, marked I, II. Ill in the plan given below. The first 

 of these sections was to be sown at the rate of 5 kelas per feddan, the 

 second at (!-J kelas, and the third at 8 kelas. A modification of the 

 original scheme was suggested by Mr. Hughes, the Chemist of the 

 .Ministry of Agriculture, and was adopted. According to this, each 

 of the sections was subdivided into three plots, shown as A, B, and C, 

 in the plan, all of the A plots being harvested before the seed had 

 formed completely in order that a better fibre might be obtained, 

 though sacrificing the seed crop ; those shown as the B plots were 

 harvested later with a view to obtaining the maximum results with 

 respect to both fibre and seed ; and those marked C still later with 

 the seed crop mainly in view. Thus, instead of three experiments as 

 originally proposed, nine equal plots were dealt with, each presenting 

 a different method of treatment. 



The whole area \vas uniformly manured with a dressing of 

 16 cubic metres of farmyard manure and DO kilos, of nitrate before 

 the first watering. 



