352 



FIELD CROP PRODUCTION 



is an annual with a single upright stem, which branches 

 freely when the plants are seeded thinly, but slightly or 

 not at all when they grow close together. The plant has a 

 long, fine tap root, with a few small lateral branches. It 



grows from 1^ to 3 

 feet in height, depend- 

 ing upon the variety 

 and upon the environ- 

 ment in which it grows. 

 The leaves are simple 

 and almost sessile and 

 arranged alternately. 

 The flowers are rather 

 large and light blue in 

 color. The seed pod" 

 is usually ten-seeded, 

 the seeds are lens- 

 shaped, with a smooth, 

 polished surface, and 

 vary from yellow to 

 brown in color. The 

 stem of flax is made 

 up of three parts, 

 namely, the bark, com- 

 posed of several lay- 

 ers, the wood, and the 

 pith. 



372. Uses of flax fiber. — In preparing the flax fiber 

 for use, the plant is first freed from the seed capsules, 

 after which the bast, that part of the bark used for the 

 fiber, must be separated from the central woody portion 

 of the stem by a process, the first step of which is called 

 " retting." There are two principal methods employed. 



Fig. 124, — Seed pods of flax. 



