248 DRY LAND FARMING 



spray. When applying it to the seed, it is spread thinly 

 on a floor. While one person sprays the seed, a second 

 person rakes it over to prevent the seeds from adhering 

 as they would if not so stirred. The dampening should 

 be thorough and complete. The seed should then be 

 covered with a covering of some kind for a couple of 

 hours, that the fumes may have opportunity to permeate 

 the mass. When this dread disease once gets into the 

 soil, it remains in the same for several years, and while 

 it does, flax should not be again sown on such land. 



It is much safer to sow flax with the drill than broad- 

 cast, as complete germination from drill sowing is much 

 more sure than from broadcast sowing. The hazard from 

 broadcast sowing increases with the lateness of the sow- 

 ing and increasing dryness in the weather. On many 

 soils the press drill does the best work, as its use facili- 

 tates quick germination in the seed. 



The seed should, as a rule, be sown shallow rather 

 than deep. In loose and very porous soils it may go 

 down to the depth of 2 to 3 inches. In heavy soils 

 and moist, it may not be buried more than 1 to 2 inches 

 without weakening the early growth of the plants. Flax 

 seed has not much power to sustain growth in plants 

 that are buried deeply before they reach the surface. 

 In dry weather, nevertheless, the seed must be put down 

 to moisture before it can reach the surface. 



The amount of seed to sow will run between the 

 extremes of 1 and 2 pecks. On well prepared land 1% 

 pecks per acre will suffice, where the rainfall is about 

 15 inches in a year. Where the seed is purchased, the 

 farmer should guard carefully against the introduction 

 of foul weed seed. 



Care of the crop. After flax has been sown, but 

 little can be done with it to promote growth by way of 

 manipulating the soil, as the plants are easily injured 

 when young. If the crop is sown on land more or less 



