THE FIBER CROPS 355 



yield of seed per acre varies from 3 to 12 bushels, the aver- 

 age probably being about 8 to 10 bushels. The price per 

 bushel varies from one to two dollars, the average being 

 about $1.50. 



375. Adaptation. — Flax grows well on almost all types 

 of soil, but sandy loams or loose types produce the best 

 yields. So far as climate is concerned, flax may be grown 

 for seed in any place that produces wheat successfully. 

 When grown for fiber, the best results are obtained in 

 cool, moist climates. In the United States, since flax is 

 grown for the seed alone, it is handled much like a grain 

 crop. It is usually of greater importance in new agri- 

 cultural sections, and often is the first crop seeded on a 

 newly plowed prairie. It is one of the best crops with 

 which to break in new ground, and is at the same time 

 adapted to the extensive cultivation necessarily practiced 

 in these sections. 



376. Cultural methods. — The usual practice of pre- 

 paring a prairie sod for flax is to give it a shallow plowing 

 either in the fall or early spring and work it down with the 

 roller and harrow. Sometimes when large acreages are 

 to be seeded in a short time, the seeding is done with little 

 or no preparation of the soil, other than plowing. 



The usual method of sowing the seed is with a grain 

 drill, which is so regulated as to place the seed about 1 inch 

 deep. From 2 to 3 pecks of seed are required per acre 

 when the flax is grown for the seed, and from 6 to 8 

 pecks when it is grown for the fiber. A thin rate of seeding 

 encourages the plants to branch freely, which favors a 

 large yield of seed, while a thick rate permits little or no 

 branching and causes the production of long, straight 

 stems, which yield a long fiber. The flax seed may be 

 sown as soon as the danger of frost is over in the spring. 



