FLA 



FLA 



%.afM 



tlie busliel, and the lint eight to ten 

 cents tlie pound. 



It requires a mellow, rich soil, full 

 of vegetable matter, ploughed deep ; 

 two bushels of seed are sown to the 

 acre, and slightly covered with a bush 

 harrow ; when the object is to obtain 

 fine green flax, but half a bushel will 

 answer for seed only, and one and a 

 half for coarse flax and seed. Sow 

 early in May, and for the finest staple 

 gather just alter flowering, when the 

 stems are yellow ; for seed when 

 dry : the amount of coarse stems is 

 often very great, producing as much 

 as half a ton of flax and tow to the 

 acre. The plants should be weeded 

 when three inches high. The follow- 

 ing view of the profit is from the Cul- 

 tivator, vol. i. : 



" In 1835, Major Kirby, of Brown- 

 ville, sowed six acres, partly upon 

 stubble and partly upon green sward, 

 with one ploughing — half a bushel of 

 seed to the acre. The ground was 

 well stocked with Canada thistles, 

 which throve remarkably ; yet, not- 

 withstanding, the six acres produced 

 him 108 bushels 12 pounds seed, and 

 seven tons and three quarters of 

 dressed flax. The proceeds of the 



crop amounted to S370 



And the culture, pulling, and 

 thrashing — the rotting being 

 done by the manufacturer — 



to about 70 



Leaving a profit of ... . 8^00 

 or 33i per acre.'' 

 B E 2 



For the production of seed the soil 

 must be a very rich wheat land, well 

 broken and manured. It is a very 

 exhausting crop, but if taken wheu 

 yellow, or before seed, and the ofl'al 

 and steeping fluid returned, it is not 

 so injurious to lands. Tlie seed con- 

 tains from 11 to 22 per cent, of oil, 

 according to the season and richness 

 of soil. See Linseed. By steeping, 

 and other ineparations, flax is re- 

 duced to 70 i)er cent, of the weight 

 of the stems, and by hackling, to 60 

 pounds. 



FLAX, PREPARATION OF. 

 " When the flax begins to get yellow 

 at the bottom of the stem, it is time 

 to pull it, if very fine flax is desired, 

 such as is made into thread for lace 

 or fine cambric ; but then the seed 

 will be of little or no value. It is 

 therefore generally left standing until 

 the capsules, which contain the seed, 

 are fully grown and the seed formed. 

 Every flax grower judges for himself 

 what is most profitable on the whole. 

 The pulling then begins, which is 

 done carefully by small handfuls at a 

 time. These are laid upon the ground 

 to dry, two and two obliquely across 

 each other. Fine weather is essen- 

 tial to this part of the operation. 

 Soon after this they are collected in 

 larger bundles and placed with the 

 root end on the ground, the bundles 

 being slightly tied near the seed end ; 

 the other end is spread out that the 

 air may have access, and the rain 

 may not damage the flax. When suf- 

 ficiently dry tliey are tied more firmly 

 in the middle, and stacked in long, 

 narrow stack.s on the ground. These 

 stacks are built as wide as the bun- 

 dles are long, and about eight or nine 

 feet high. The length depends on 

 the crop ; they are seldom made above 

 twenty or thirty feet long. If the 

 field is extensive, several of these 

 stacks are formed at regular distan- 

 ces ; they are carefully thatched at 

 top, and the ends, which are quite 

 perpendicular, are kept up by means 

 of two strong poles driven perpen- 

 dicularly into the ground. This is 

 the method adopted by those who de- 

 fer the steeping till another season. 



293 



