CHAPTER XIV. 



MISCELLANEOUS CROPS. 



Variety is the spice of life, and the farmer need not 

 carry all his eggs in one basket. 



Writers have usually admitted that flax is a 

 much neglected crop. It is becoming more and 

 more appreciated in the West. It is one of the 

 most drouth-resistant plants, resists hail well, 

 will grow in a short season and, where there is 

 sufficient early moisture to stimulate the first 

 growth, it will usually make a crop. The main 

 difficulty in raising flax in the West has been 

 that of finding a market, as there are no mills 

 for the extraction of the oil and the linen indus- 

 try has not called for the fibre. However, we 

 have made some new discoveries in regard to the 

 value of flax seed for feeding stock. Early feed- 

 ers failed to get good results with flax because 

 they fed too heavily, upsetting the digestion of 

 the animals and causing urinary troubles. With 

 more moderate feeding, flax has found a place 

 in Western farming. 



Under irrigation, flax does not stand much 

 water. It should be irrigated lightly and never 

 flooded too long. 



Average yields are fifteen to eighteen bushels 

 per acre; but maximum yields of twenty-eight 



