282 



NEW ENGLAND FAR:MER. 



June 



FLAX AND CRAJSTBERBIES. 



Culture of Flax— Terra Culture — Cranberry Meadow— Chinese 

 Sugar Cane — Mangold Wurtzel. 



Our correspondent from Orleans county, Ver- 

 mont, asks us the following questions, to which 

 we respond with pleasure. 



Can flax be made a profitable crop as far north as 

 fortv-five degrees ? What is the best time for sow- 

 ing "the seed? What soil is best for its groAvth ? 

 The best manner of preparing the ground ? Other 

 directions for gathering and whippmg the seed, and 

 preparing the straw for mill, &c. 



Flax. — The general neglect to cultivate flax in 

 New England, would seem to be pretty good evi- 

 dence that other crops are more profitable. This 

 crop can be grown, however, in perfection, we 

 think, in any of the New England States. It re- 

 quires a strong granite or clay loam, Avhich should 

 be prepared as for corn, though we have never 

 known flax put upon sward land. On drained 

 land, the roots of this plant will strike very deep, 

 so as to withstand pretty severe drought. Sow as 

 soon after the first of May as the ground is warm 

 and in proper condition. The old mode of gath- 

 ering was by pulling it by hand — a process which 

 most farmers very much dislike. It is left upon 

 the ground until wilted a little, and then tied in 

 small bundles, and stocked in the field. If the 

 weather is favorable, it will be fit to take to the 

 barn in a few days. After remaining in an airy 

 position there for some weeks, the seed is easily 

 thrashed or beaten from the bolls, and then it is 

 taken to a mowing field, and spread thinly upon 

 the grass to go through a rotting process ; this 

 requires from ten to twenty-five days, depending 

 much upon the state of the weather. When it 

 has remained so long as to render the pulp, or 

 stem part weak and brittle, it is gathered into 

 large bundles, and stored in the barn. In the sun- 

 ny days of the last of February and during March, 

 the barn floors of New England were once the 

 scenes of a busy activity in preparing flax for the 

 distaff". It is first passed through the "brake," an 

 instrument having four or five long wooden jaws 

 below, and another set above. The flax is placed 

 on the lower set, and the upper ones brought down 

 upon it, breaking the stem into pieces, which fall 

 out, leaving the long fibre in the hand. When 

 this is done, it is passed to the "swingling board," 

 and struck with a long wooden knife very smooth- 

 ly polished. The "swingler" occasionally passes 

 it through a "hatchel," which is a group of long, 

 sharply-pointed iron pins ; this straightens the 

 fibre, and at the same time takes away some of 

 the fine pieces of the broken stem. In this man- 

 ner the fibre is reduced to a glossy, delicate ap- 

 pearance, has a very soft and silky touch, and is 

 now ready for the wheel. 



A newjn-ocess has been discovered of "rotting" 

 or "bleaching" flax, so that it is accomplished at a 



cheap rate in a few hours, and the fibre made 

 ready to be mixed with wool or cotton, and spun 

 very much as cotton is. It is quite probable that 

 this discovery may introduce the culture of flax 

 among us again. 



Can you inform me any thing about "Terra Cul- 

 tiu'c", which I have noticed is advocated as a pre- 

 vention of the "potato rot," and largely increasing 

 the product of potatoes and other roots ? 



Terra Culture. — This term has been in use for 

 several years in connection with a system of a 

 Mr. Russell Comstock, of Western New York. 

 His theory seems to be, that the part in any plant 

 just at the junction of the root and trunk or stalli, 

 is the seat of life ; hence, setting a plant too 

 deep or shallow, affects the seat of life, and the 

 plant or tree dies, or is injured. To this theory, 

 he has undoubtedly attached many valuable and 

 well-known facts in cultivation. We know little 

 of it, but do not observe that his theory has met 

 with much favor, though this point does not prob- 

 ably embrace it all. 



Is there any cheap and convenient method of Ky- 

 anizing cedar stakes, hard wood or tamarack bean 

 poles, &c.? 



Kyanizing Wood. — Take three parts of chlo- 

 ride of zinc to half a barrel, or about sixteen gal- 

 lons, of water. Set the poles upright in this li- 

 quid, and they will be ready for use in about a 

 week. We learn that stakes prepared in this man- 

 ner have been used seven or eight summers, and 

 still remain sound. 



What would be the best way of preparing a 

 swamp for eranbcrrj' culture, where the muck is 10 

 to 20 feet deep, and tamaracks 20 to 30 feet liigh are 

 scattered sparsely over the surface ? The meadow 

 could be flowed at some expense in digging away 

 the muck at the outlet and tilling up with stones 

 and earth so as to make a tight dam. The meadow 

 contains 30 or 40 acres. The muck is not fully de- 

 composed, being of a light color Avhen first dug up. 



Preparing a Swamp for Cranberry Culture. — 

 In a work of this kind, circumstances will vary so 

 much that we can do little more than give some 

 brief suggestions. If the meadow is partially cov- 

 ered with bushes and trees — and you can aff"ord 

 to wait — all the vegetation may be killed by keep- 

 ing the land continually flowed for two or three 

 years. If you do not like to wait, cut down the 

 tamaracks and bushes, gru^ up the hassocks, 

 making the meadow as level as you can, burn the 

 rubbish, and scatter the ashes over the whole sur- 

 face. If you do not find sand within a foot of the 

 surface, haul on some from a neighboring bank 

 and spread it, no matter if an inch in depth. Then 

 open places, and set the cranberry plants, within 

 eight inches of each other. If they are not set 

 closely so as to take possession of the gi-ound, 

 the grass will do so ; the contest between them 

 will not be a long one ; the grass will be sure to 



