394 THE FORAGE AND FIBER CROPS IN AMERICA 



restore to the soil the elements withdrawn from it by the flax. For the 

 present the enormovs area of virgin soil offers ample space for the cultivation 

 of flax. But the ai*ea of land still to be broken up will soon only be found 

 in a more distant fegion. So that the cultivation of this crop will become, 

 pecuniarily, more difficult; however, it is, for the time being, a matter of large 

 figures, rapidly increasing, in the bulk of our crops, and in the profit which 

 its exportation returns in good gold to our farmers." 1 



The average yield of flax seed in the United States for ten 

 years, ending 1905 was, in round numbers, 22 million bushels, 

 and the average farm price on December I for the four years 

 ended 1905 was 93 cents per bushel. Weight per bushel, sound- 

 ness and uniformity of seeds are the principal factors in estab- 

 lishing the grade. No. I northern grade must weigh 51 pounds 

 or more per bushel, and not contain more than one-eighth "field, 

 stock, storage or other damaged seeds." The usual legal weight 

 per bushel in Canada and the United States is 56 pounds. Of 

 flax fiber in the world's commerce, Europe is the sole producer. 

 Russia produces more than three-fourths of the crop, while of 

 the remaining ten countries producing the fiber, Austria-Hun- 

 gary is the chief. 2 



498. History. The history of flax is contemporaneous with 

 that of wheat. The clothing of the ancient Egyptians and He- 

 brews was largely made of flax, and its culture was introduced 

 into Europe in remote times. Flax fiber is comparatively much 

 less important since the general introduction of cotton. It has 

 been called the "fiber of luxury," while cotton has been referred 

 to as the "fiber of the masses." Its use as a source of oil has 

 increased rapidly within recent times. 



II. HEMP 



499. Hemp. (Cannabis sativa L.), a plant closely related to 

 the hop and ramie, and belonging to the mulberry family (Mo- 

 raceae), is a native of western and central Asia, having been 



1 M. Bernardez: The Argentine Estancia, pp. 94, 95. 



2 For flax culture in Europe, sec L' . S. Dcpt. Agr., Fanners' Bui. No. 274; 

 also published as Bui. No. 71 by North Dakota Station. 



