60 FLAX CULTURE AND PREPARATION 



the seed capsules, screening and cleaning, in order to secure 

 a greater purity of the flax seed retained for sowing. 



Prof. Pammel, writing of the United States, says that 

 farmers everywhere could increase their crops by about one- 

 third by retarding the growth of weeds, and that the loss 

 incurred by farmers would pay the taxes. 



61. Weeding or Cleaning. A great reduction of the growth 

 of weeds in a flax field may be effectively accomplished by a 

 careful and thorough harrowing and pulverizing of the soil 

 to a fine tilth. Such operations tend to prevent the weeds 

 from getting any opportunity to strike their roots into the 

 soil before the time of sowing arrives, in which case they fail 

 to germinate in advance of the young flax plants. 



When the flax brairds are 2, 3 or 4 in. high, boys and girls 

 should be sent to weed the flax field, barefooted, so as not to 

 unduly damage or break the young plants. An arrangement 

 was made for eight boys to weed, under supervision, a field 

 of six acres of flax. Each boy was allotted an equivalent 

 portion of the field and was provided with an apron of coarse 

 canvas, the loose ends of which were attached to a narrow 

 band suspended from the neck so as to form a convenient bag- 

 like arrangement for the storage of the weeds pulled and col- 

 lected on each journey over the field. The collected weeds 

 were deposited in a heap and the weeder returned to his next 

 contiguous part of the field and repeated the operation until 

 the six acres were completed and cleaned of its weeds. The 

 period occupied about a half day, and the work was sufficiently 

 well done to require no further weeding of the field. 



Very long and strong weeds are better cut off than pulled 

 up by the root, at this time, for obvious reasons. 



When the flax was ready for pulling the standing crop 

 was singularly clean and free from weeds. 



Many people advocate weeding against the wind so as to 

 oppose the direction of the inclined brairds. 



62. Weed Prevention. It matters little which direction the 

 weeders traverse so long as they exercise care. In a very 



