280 CULTURE OF FARM CROPS. 



known as linseed, and the residue of a mass of which is 

 when compressed known as linseed cakes, or generally 

 as " oil-cake." 



82. The flax crop is by no means a favourite one with 

 farmers generally, as it is by them as it was indeed by an- 

 cient authorities considered to be an exhausting crop. Pro- 

 perly cultivated, however, it is no more an exhausting crop 

 than wheat or barley, and its cultivation is consistent with 

 as good and economical cropping of the land as that of 

 any other crop. As already stated, flax is a special crop, 

 from which it may be gathered that it is cultivated only in 

 special districts. These are chiefly in this country to be 

 met with in Ireland ; and of the best mode of cultivation 

 there adopted, the following will convey a fair idea : 



83. The soil found to be best adapted to the cultivation 

 of flax is a sound, dry, deep loam, with a clay subsoil. As 

 with other crops, draining and subsoiling are essential; 

 good flax cannot be expected where surface or underground 

 waters abounds. The land should be carefully and re- 

 peatedly cleansed from weeds, to place it in the " finest, 

 deepest, and cleanest state." This will enable the roots to 

 penetrate the soil, which they will frequently do to a depth 

 equal to half the height of the plant above ground. On 

 light friable loam, one ploughing after wheat may be suffi- 

 cient, but two will be better ; on stiff soils three are ad- 

 vised, one of these immediately after harvest, across the 

 ridges, the remaining two in spring, so as to be ready for 

 sowing in the first or second week of April Better crops 

 will be obtained, if the land is so worked that the seed 

 can be sown in flats. To give the land time to consolidate, 

 the subsoiling should be done at a not less interval than 

 two years previous to the flax crop. After oats, where 

 thorough draining has been carried out, it will be necessary 

 to plough early in autumn, to the depth of 6 or 8 inches, 

 the land to be thrown into ridges, to receive the frost and 

 air, with surface drains ; to be ploughed again in spring 3 

 or 4 inches deep, so as to preserve the winter surface for 

 the roots of the flax. This spring ploughing should be 



