274 THE SOILS AND CROPS OF THE FARM. 



vation the soil is thrown to the row. Cultivation con- 

 tinues until the plants shade the ground, which is 

 usually in the latter part of July. The early culti- 

 vation may be deep but the later cultivation should 

 be as shallow as possible for thorough weed killing. 

 Practically all the cotton of the world is raised by 

 colored labor. 



FLAX. 



The history of flax is contemporaneous with that of 

 wheat. The clothing of the ancient Egyptians and 

 Hebrews was largely made of flax, and its culture has 

 been handed down with our civilization. Its culture 

 was introduced into Europe in very remote times. 

 Flax fibre is comparatively much less important than 

 before the general introduction of cotton. The princi- 

 pal sources of supply are Eussia, Germany, the Neth- 

 erlands and Ireland. 



The crop of 1891, which was probably the largest 

 ever produced in the United States, was raised on a 

 little less than two million acres, with an averao^e 

 yield of about eight bushels per acre. The acreage was 

 about the same as that of barley, rye or potatoes. 

 The crop is almost all raised west of the Mississippi 

 River, it having traveled westward with the pioneer 

 farmer. Minnesota and South Dakota are at present 

 the leading states. 



Flax is grown both for its fibre and for its seed, 

 sometimes for the one, sometimes for the other, and 

 sometimes for both. The seed yields twenty to twen- 

 ty-eight per cent of oil of the best quality for use in 

 painting. The residue, linseed meal, is used in cattle 

 feeding, considerable quantities of it being exported. 



The fibre is obtained from the bark of the plant 



