270 THE FLAX CROP. 



unfavourable at the time approaching its maturity. Al- 

 though it is desirable to have the soil in good condition, 

 organic matter in large proportion always is prejudicial 

 to the crop ; and experience has shown that, under ordi- 

 nary circumstances, flax does not succeed so well after grass 

 or root crops, even where carried off the ground, as in the 

 case with potatoes, as after a straw crop. On the light 

 sandy soils of Belgium and Holland, containing naturally 

 but very small proportions of organic matter, organic 

 manures are used to flax, as indeed they are to all their 

 crops. From 300 to 500 rape cakes are allowed to each 

 acre; these are dissolved in about ten tons of liquid manure, 

 "purin/' containing the liquid and solid excreta of the 

 house and of the stables, and then carted and distributed 

 over the land, immediately previous to sowing. If the land 

 intended for flax has been thoroughly tilled and cleaned 

 in the autumn, and left with a good deep winter furrow, 

 it will require but little preparation in the spring. It is 

 always better to avoid using the plough if possible at that 

 period of the year. The finely weathered surface is turned 

 in, and it is well-nigh impossible, by any mechanical treat- 

 ment of the soil, to reduce a fresh furrow-slice to the same 

 tilth, while every time any implement or animal passes 

 over the surface it becomes compressed and consolidated, 

 and in some soils and seasons materially injured. There- 

 fore, in all cases spring ploughing should be avoided, if 

 possible. If the autumnal cultivation has been well at- 

 tended to, a deep turn with the "cultivator" across the 

 line of ploughing will thoroughly break up the old furrow- 

 slices, open and dry the soil if necessary, and leave the 

 finely-divided surface soil untouched, and in first-rate con- 

 dition as a seed-bed for the -following crop. 



Assuming that ,all these points have been carefully at- 

 tended to, and that the land is thoroughly prepared for the 

 crop, it is desirable, previous to getting in the seed, to run 



