48 FLAX CULTURE 



ful should be grasped with both hands 

 just below the seed-bolls, and pulled ob- 

 liquely from the ground with a sudden 

 jerk, the dirt adhering to the roots being 

 shaken or knocked off on the boot." x The 

 plants should then be laid evenly on the 

 ground, and be kept straight throughout. 



Compare this careful and tedious cul- 

 ture with the methods that now obtain in 

 the West. There flax is grown for the 

 seed, which is used for making linseed- 

 oil. The seed is allowed to ripen fully, 

 thereby injuring the fibre. Mr. "Hiram 

 Sisson, although he represents himself 

 as not very well acquainted with Ameri- 

 can flax, told the Tariff Commission, " I 

 will tell you what I know about flax in 

 Illinois and Iowa. There they sow their 

 flax for the seed wholly. All they do is 

 to plough the ground, sow their seed, and 

 mow the flax with a machine, dry it, and 

 put it through a machine that is pro- 

 pelled by horse-power, to knock off the 

 seed, leaving the straw on the field." 2 And 



1 Rep. Dept. Ag. 1879, P- 5 88 - 2 Re P- Tar - Com -> P- 2Sl - 



