12 FLAX CULTURE AND PREPARATION 



ascertained or known percentage of germination is not, how- 

 ever, any conclusive evidence that the seed is either good or 

 bad for fibre production, but it is the pre-eminent factor for 

 ascertaining the quantity which should be sown to each statute 

 acre or other unit area for any prepared or known kind of 

 land. 



11. Weight. The second and essential factor of flax fibre 

 seed is its weight absolute and relative. The former should 

 not be less than 4-2 grammes or 65 grains (avoirdupois) per 

 1,000 pickles. 



On the Continent, flax seedsmen of good repute usually 

 reject, for fibre -producing purposes, all flax seed which 

 weighs less than 4 grammes per 1,000 pickles. 



The individual pickles in each bag of clean flax seed should, 

 as far as possible, be of the same relative and uniform weight, 

 if a uniform braird and subsequent crop of flax plant and 

 fibre is to be the result. The smaller and lighter pickles should 

 be extracted during the process of cleaning the seed. 



Uniformity in the length of the flax straw and the quality 

 of the flax fibre is due more to the foregoing factor than 

 perhaps any other, when once the proper selection of land and 

 preparation of same have received their due share of attention. 



When the relative weight of the individual pickles of seed 

 is uniform and the absolute weight of 1,000 pickles is 4-2 

 grammes or more, then the weight of flax seed should be 

 about 54 Ib. per bushel or 1891b. per bag of 3J bushels. It 

 is advisable to note that the absolute weight of small seed is 

 relatively greater per bushel or bag than for large seed of like 

 dryness or condition of moisture a fact which may, conse- 

 quently, be somewhat misleading as to its correct relative 

 value, and relative sowing quantity. 



The absolute weight of flax seed should be definitely ascer- 

 tained for some given or known standard condition of moisture ; 

 in other words the cleaned flax seed must be of such dryness 

 that it will not germinate during its period in the store or 

 transit. Air-dried flax seed contains from 10 to 10-25 per 



