38 



BULLETIN 398, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUKE. 



VARIETAL EXPERIMENTS IN NURSERY ROWS. 



Nursery work with flax was not started until 1914, wlien 50 va- 

 rieties and strains were tested. These varieties were grown in fiftieth- 

 acre and hundredth-acre plats and in 8-rod rows. Most of them 

 were recent importations from Europe which were grown in this 

 country for the first time in 1914. 



In 1915 the flax nursery was increased. In addition to the tests 

 in fiftieth-acre plats and 8-rod rows, 204 selections were grown in 

 head rows. Some of the head rows were selections from the most 

 promising varieties and some were selections from a natural hybrid. 

 A view of the flax nursery in 1915 is shown in figure 17. 



Several promising varieties which are now being gro^vn in the 

 nursery will soon be added to the varietal test. 



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Fig. 17. — The flax nursery at the Judith Btisin substation, 1915. (From a photograph lent by the OlBce 

 of Exhibits, U. S. Department of Agriculture.) 



DATE-OF-SEEDING EXPERIMENT. 



There appears to be some question as to the proper date on which 

 to sow flax. The impression seems to exist in some sections that 

 flax should be sown later than the spring grains. The date-of-seed- 

 ing test at Moccasin has not been conducted long enough to justify 

 drawing definite conclusions from it. The results seem to indicate, 

 however, that early seeding is the best. In 1915 the highest yield 

 was obtained from the plat seeded on April 9. While there was 

 some freezing weather after this date it apparently did no harm to 

 the flax. The tests at Moccasin show that flax should be sown not 

 later than May 1, as seedings made after that date will not produce 

 as good yields. 



RATE-OF-SEEDING EXPERIMENT. 



A rate-of -seeding test with flax is being conducted at Moccasin, 

 but, like the date-of-seeding test, it has not been continued long 

 enough to justify any definite conclusions. During the last three 

 years the varietal plats have been seeded at the rate of 18 pounds 



