CHOICE OF SEED FOB FLAX. 19 



between the surface-rooted plants, and have also guarded 

 against grain crops following each other, however, much will 

 depend on the nature of the soil and the knowledge of the 

 grower as to the adaptation of his land to the grains or root 

 he may select, as different soils require a difference in rotation. 

 In Belgium Flax invariably follows a corn crop, and that is 

 generally Oats. The same system could be profitably pur- 

 sued in this country in situations where wheat and barley 

 cannot be grown to pay expenses and leave a profit, for 

 example, in the vicinity of the Newtownhamilton Mountains, 

 about five miles from Armagh, I have seen a prime quality 

 of Flax flourishing on land on which nothing but oats of in- 

 different quality could be produced, and also from the 

 neighbourhood of Keady-town, and around that mountain 

 district, I have seen Flax produced ^of superior quality. The 

 Flemish farmers bring in Flax in the third year of their seven 

 course rotation, but these people till and manure their land 

 for Flax culture at a labour and expense equal to what our 

 market gardeners give to the culture of their onions or celery, 

 hence is derived their ability to obtain from 100 to 180 

 per ton for their produce. 



DIRECTIONS AS TO CHOICE OF SEED, 

 AND TIME OF SOWING. 



I think that there has always been too little attention 

 paid to this part of the subject, and that farmers always 

 appear to forget, in selecting Flax seed, that seed, known to be 

 from a good and fine quality of fibre should be preferred. In 

 selecting seed Potatoes or seed wheat, barley, or oats, they 

 prefer the most prolific breed, and the choicest sort for saving ; 

 why, then, should not Flax seed be selected with the same 

 precaution ? An experiment with seed saved from coarse bad 

 Flax, and with seed saved from Flax of good, fine quality, 

 tried by practical men, \rould throw much light on this 



