SAVING THE FLAX SEED 85 



not do any harm but should the weather be very unsettled 

 and wet, the rippled bolls may be spread out evenly on the 

 floor of a loft, through which a constant breeze can freely 

 blow. In any case the bolls must be repeatedly turned over 

 until quite dry. Before putting the dried capsules into sacks 

 for storage it is preferable and desirable to expose them for 

 a few hours in the open air on any fine day. 



78. Artificial Heat. The application of artificial heat is 

 very dangerous and liable to reduce the percentage of germina- 

 tion. If any such heat be used it should not exceed 70 F. 

 Fig. 42 is a photograph showing 100 per cent germination of 

 seed removed from the capsules five months after deseeding. 

 This flax was deseeded ten days after pulling, and saved as 

 described above. 



An enterprising farmer will watch for every opportunity 

 to forward the operations in which he is interested, and not 

 wait for a long period of serene weather, which may never 

 come at all, and as a consequence lose all his crop. Wherever 

 the climate is very unsettled the farmer has to gather in his 

 harvest in snatches or not at all. As Shakespeare says, though 

 in slightly different phraseology, there are tides and times 

 favourable to the harvest which, taken at the flood, lead on 

 to fortune, but if neglected never occur again and total failure 

 is the result. 



