176 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



The majority of the Loots were of a smaller size than 

 usual. The quality of some varieties proved to be fair; 

 others have hut little value for the production of sugar, as 

 will be seen from the analyses farther on. 



The importance of a reliable seed, a good preparation of a 

 deep soil, a proper system of fertilization, a close planting, 

 and a subsequent careful mode of cultivation for the success- 

 ful production of sugar beet roots fit for an economical 

 manufacture of sugar, has been abundantly illustrated by 

 the writer, by a series of field experiments upon the college 

 farm, as far back as 1873-1876. (See Massachusetts Agri- 

 cultural College reports for those years.) 



Field D. 



It comprises an area 328 feet long and 70 feet wide, 

 equal to 22,960 square feet, running from east to west, 

 parallel with Field C, with a grass road twelve feet in width 

 between them. Mode of manuring and preparation of the 

 soil previous to seeding corresponds with that described in 

 connection with Field C. The eastern half of the land was 

 planted with carrots, the western with flax. 



Flax (Linum usitatissimum) . — About one-fourth of an 

 acre was sown with flax-seed May 23. Forty-four pounds 

 of seed were used for that purpose. The seed was applied 

 broadcast in two directions, to secure a close stand of the 

 crop. The young plants showed themselves above ground 

 May 29. The crop was weeded by hand June 30. It began 

 to bloom July 2, and reached a height of two feet August 1. 

 As soon as the color of the plants changed decidedly into a 

 greenish-yellow tint, they were pulled, to secure a valuable 

 straw. The seeds were but partly matured. The entire 

 crop when harvested weighed 1,510 pounds. The seed 

 heads were taken off by means of an iron comb, and the 

 straw set up out of doors to dry. The dried straw weighed 

 670 pounds, August 22. This weight corresponds to 2,570 

 pounds per acre. 



The entire crop was sent to a New York company, accord- 

 ing to a previous arrangement, to be converted, by a new 

 process of bleaching, etc., into linen goods, to test its 

 quality for that purpose. 



