SOWING. 37 



the small lumps of earth into powder, and smooth the 

 surface of the field to a level which, in France, is more 

 nearly horizontal than the cottage-floor belonging to 

 many of the labourers who have been working upon it. 



According to our best practical French authorities, 

 the best time to sow flax is in the course of the month 

 of February, if the weather le fine, and in March if the 

 weather has not been fine during February. Of course, 

 climate and latitude will have a good deal to do with the 

 date of sowing ; what would succeed perfectly on the 

 coast of the Mediterranean might not be advisable on 

 the shores of the Baltic, or in the North of Scotland. 

 But, the earliest sown crops are the best, if the season do 

 not turn out quite too inclement. The second sowings 

 take place in April and May ; these are the consequence 

 of unfavourable weather in March preventing the pre- 

 paration of the land, or other untoward circumstances ; 

 for, flax ought to be sown on fresh-worked land. It 

 will not do to till the land, let it lie, and then sow flax 

 upon it after a long interval of repose. The entire season 

 for sowing flax may therefore be said to run from the 

 middle of February to the end of May. 



In deciding on the time for sowing flax during the 

 course of this period, it is necessary to be bold and to 

 speculate a little. Late sown flax goes on with slighter 

 checks, and has fewer enemies to contend with ; whereas 

 early flax, besides the casualties of the weather, is longer 

 exposed to the attacks of quadruped, winged, and insect 

 vermin at a time when they have little else to prey on. 

 But, nothing venture, nothing have. It is true there is 

 the greatest risk with early sown flax ; but if you suc- 

 ceed, you have a much more valuable and heavier crop, 

 with a longer fibre than the late sown, although not so 

 fine in quality. Late sowing is the surer plan, and is 

 also adopted where fine fibre is required. 



M. Yan Aelbroeck, criticising some agricultural inno- 

 vators who deferred their sowing till the middle of May, 

 shrewdly remarks : " The earliest possible time is the 

 best for sowing flax ; for in all the cantons which sow 



