Scandinavian praplice, 1 y having galvanized wires stretched on 

 frames set up for that purpose in the drying ground. These wires 

 will last for years and the frames may be removed at any time 

 the ground is required for other purposes. For this purpose the 

 bundles are taken from where they have been left to drain and the 

 tie opened out, and the whole bundle placed astride the fence, pole 

 or galvanized wire, set up for that purpose. 



After a few days when the butt ends are dry the bundles are 

 taken down and the tic or band slipped back to the butt ends, and 

 the seed ends opened out and the bundle reversed on the wire until 

 the whole is sufficiently dry for housing, when it may either be 

 taken to the mill and sold, or stacked and covered safely from the 

 weather, in which condition it will keep indefinitely. While dry- 

 ing on the wires many bundles of the straw will be found to be 

 stuck or matted together, so that air cannot permeate through 

 them. A stroke of the bundle against the ground will loosen the 

 straw and allow the air to pass freely through and dry the straw 

 more rapidly. This completes the farm work on the flax crop. 



WHAT IS THERE IN THE FLAX CROP FOR THE FARMER 



ANYHOW? 



In reply, I will give a few pointers from which you can figure 

 it out for yourselves. In the first place it must be remembered 

 that flax is preminently a MONEY CROP, for which the mill will 

 pay SPOT CASH and it is the policy of the scutch mill to give a 

 good paying price to encourage him to continue in its production. 

 Any other policy would be suicidal to the miller, as unless the 

 farmer secures a fair profit for his flax, he will discontinue to 

 produce the scutcher will be left with a costly mill plant on 

 his hands, both idle and unproductive. 



Fax is not like other crops, that the small farmer is com- 

 pelled to trade with the merchant and accept goods therefor in 

 lieu of cash. As an old Dutch neighbor of mine said, "IN MY 

 COUNTRY THE FLAX FARMER IS ALWAYS THE BEST 

 FARMER, AND THE FLAX FARMER ALWAYS HAS THE BEST 

 CLOTHES, AND THE FLAX FARMER ALWAYS HAS SOME 

 MONEY IN HIS POCKETS." The careful farmer may expect 

 three to four tons of dry straw, with the seed on, to the acre, if he 

 has used reasonable care and attention in the various details of 

 culture and treatment as here laid down. Should he be slack 

 handed, he had better let the flax culture alone 



A crop of flax, such as would yield three to four tons per 

 acre, would run from thirty-six to forty-eight inches long in the 

 straw measured from the crown of the root to where the first 

 branch starts from the stem. This is no unusual growth for Pu- 

 eet Sound or Western Washington, while with the extra care in 

 favorable seasons very much better results may be obtained. 



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