36 FLAX. 



is a slight breeze, as will frequently happen at the time 

 when other circumstances are favourable, the sower 

 should always work with the wind at his side, blowing 

 alternately on his left hand and on his right as he paces 

 up and down the field with measured steps, and not at 

 his back or in his face. Badly-sown fields come up in 

 welts, or in waves like the ripple-marks on a sandy shore, 

 with curved stripes of alternately thick and thin places, 

 to the serious detriment of the future crop, which neces- 

 sarily proves unequal in growth and quality. Elax might 

 be sown advantageously, perhaps, by means of the broad- 

 cast sowing-machine which is employed for grass-seeds 

 in England. A still more uniform distribution of the 

 seed would be insured by going over the ground twice, 

 and sowing half the amount of seed each time. 



If, as the season for flax-sowing approaches, it be very 

 dry, the land should be well kept down by harrowing 

 and rolling, in order to preserve its moisture, that the 

 plants may come up altogether, which is a great point 

 gained. We may observe that flax should not be grown 

 in tree-bound fields ; or, in such a case, the crop should 

 be bordered with some other. When clover and grass- 

 seeds, or carrot-seeds are sown with flax (after wheat), 

 the person who sows them follows him who sows the flax- 

 seed, and both are covered with a double turn of the 

 grass-seed harrow, which is light but broad, the teeth 

 thickly set and short. On the continent, the sowing of 

 those 'seeds is often deferred till immediately before the 

 weeding. The tearing up of the weeds by the labourers, 

 and their kneeling on the ground, effectually bury the 

 small seeds that have just been scattered over the surface 

 of the field. 



As to the time of sowing, an important point, for 

 a general rule in England and France, we may state, 

 that from the middle of March to the tenth of May, 

 weather permitting, the seed is sown broad-cast as we 

 have described, partially covered with the harrow, and 

 entirely so with the roller ; which two implements fol- 

 lowing each other on a fine sunshiny day of spring, break 



