CHAPTER XIV- 



MlSCELLANEOTJS OeOPS. 



Variety is the spice of life, and the farmer need not 

 carry all his eg'g's in one basket. 



TJ.ATC Writers have usually admitted that flax is a 



much neglected crop. It is becoming more and 

 more appreciated in the West. It is one of the 

 most drouth-resistant plants, resists hail well, 

 will grow in a short season and, where there is 

 sufficient early moisture to stimulate the first 

 growth, it will usually make a crop. The main 

 difficulty in raising flax in the West has been 

 that of finding a market, as there are no mills 

 for the extraction of the oil and the linen indus- 

 try has not called for the fibre. However, we 

 have made some new discoveries in regard to the 

 value of flax seed for feeding stock. Early feed- 

 ers failed to get good results with flax because 

 they fed too heavily, upsetting the digestion of 

 the animals and causing urinary troubles. With 

 more moderate feeding, flax has found a place 

 in Western farming. 



CUI^TXTBE 



Under irrigation, flax does not stand much 

 water. It should be irrigated lightly and never 

 flooded too long. 



Average yields are fifteen to eighteen bushels 

 per acre; but maximum yields of twenty-eight 



