2 BTJLLETIi!^ 1092, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



able years. Selections have been made in England, Canada, and 

 Russia for increased stem length, but they are not yet a factor in 

 the industry, because of the limited supply of seed. 



The seed flax grown extensively in the Northwest for the produc- 

 tion of linseed oil is more widely known in this country than fiber 

 flax, which is grown in limited areas. Although there are inter- 

 grading forms, these varieties of seed flax are fairly distinct from 

 the fiber varieties, and the relation between the two is quite like 

 that between beef and dairy cattle. The short seed varieties will 

 produce fiber under favorable moisture conditions, but they will not 

 yield so much nor will it be fiber of so good a quality as the fiber 

 strains. Similarly, the tall fiber-flax varieties when grown under 

 seed-flax conditions will yield a fair quantity of seed but not so 

 many .bushels per acre as the seed-flax varieties. 



A brief discussion of the fiber-flax plant and the processes of 

 handling it to produce the fiber is introduced here for the better 

 understanding of the crop of fiber flax and the type of plant desired. 



The fiber-flax plant, under field conditions, has a single straight 

 stem less than one-tenth of an inch thick, which grows 25 to 30 

 inches high and then sends out branches, forming the flower panicle. 

 (Fig. 1.) Some idea as to the small size of the plant may be 

 gathered from the fact that it takes nearly 600 of them to make an 

 ounce of fiber. 



Stems of small diameter produce the best quality of fiber and also 

 the largest quantity per given weight of stalk. Seeding broadcast 

 thickl}^, at the rate of 80 to 120 pounds per acre, tends to induce a 

 growth of fine stems. Broadcasting results in stems of uniform size 

 which are also desirable for good fiber production. From the heavy 

 rate of seeding, about three times that practiced with seed flax, a 

 stand is secured which shades out the weeds and in addition shades 

 out the side branches on the flax plants, which would produce uneven 

 places in the fiber. 



The flax fibers are located in the cortex, and since they form part 

 of the fibrovascular system of the plant most of them run nearly 

 the full length of the stem. Some terminate in each leaf and many 

 in each branch. Those in the branches are of practically no value 

 for spinning. The fibers of the main stem are extracted by a series of 

 processes: (1) retting, a decay process which loosens the fiber from 

 the woody portions of the stem ; (2) breaking, which breaks up the 

 woody portions into small pieces; and (3) scutching, which removes 

 the woody pieces, leaving the i^repared fiber. 



The flax stems are retted by either spreading in a meadow or sub- 

 merging in a tank of water until bacterial action has proceeded long 

 enough to loosen the cortex from the i^ith without weakening the 

 fiber. After drying the stems thoroughly the process of breaking is 



