is light you may run a i-oller over it at this stage of the game, 

 to compress the soil about the covered sod, and cause it to 

 decay more readily. The winter frosts will lighten up the sur- 

 face as early in the spring as you can work the land advantage- 

 ously you can either plow again, this time only three or four 

 inches deep. Or instead of plowing, work the land with a disc 

 cutaway, Acme or spring tooth harrow and leave the land in 

 that condition for a week or two in order to encourage the germ- 

 ination of weed seeds already in the ground and by again plow- 

 ing or cultivating, the sprouted weed seeds will be smothered and 

 a good seed bed for the flax secured, enabling it to get a good 

 start. While giving the above, as what I consider the best 

 preparatory treatment of the land for a crop of flax, I do not 

 wish it to be understood that good crops of flax can only he 

 obtained by this procedure, as many modifications may be madp 

 with satisfactory results, and it will pay in cash returns to keep 

 close to the fundamental principles. Deep culture, compaction 

 of the soil and fine and clean surface tillage. 



SEED. 



The seed question is of the utmost importance in flax cul- 

 ture for fine fiber, as only the best should be sown. Until the 

 war, Europe was the only available source. In the near future, 

 however, Puget Sound will produce an abundance of the highest 

 quality of seed for fiber flax production. As a result of my ex- 

 periments I have found that the Puget Sound grown flax seed 

 contained 37.16 per cent of oil, and was richer in other respects, 

 than any flax seed grown in any other part of America. Over 

 twenty years ago I sent some samples of Puget Sound grown 

 flax seed to the then President of the American Linseed 

 Oil Trust, who wrote me that it was the finest sample of flax 

 seed he had ever seen, and he kindly advised me not to ship it but 

 to erect a small oil mill on Puget Sound. This is only in line 

 with the well established fact that other oil-bearing seeds grown 

 on Puget Sound, excell those grown elsewhere in vitality and 

 richness, as illustrated by the circumstance that Puget Sound 

 cauliflower seed, rape, and cabbage stand at the top of the mar- 

 ket. Four varieties of flax seed are available for use on the North 

 Pacific Coast, viz.: Riga, Belgian, White, and Blue Flowered 

 Dutch, or Royal, and as far as my experiments have gone, good 

 results have been obtained with all. It may be of interest in 

 this place to note that in Ireland, the Dutch seed is considered 

 the best on heavy crops, or after grain crops, while Riga is con- 

 sidered more suitable for light land, the Dutch is also thought 

 to produce the finest fiber. This matter is, however, open to 

 further investigation in this country, as many variations from 

 European experience will be dependent on climatic differences. 

 The finest of fiber is, however, dependent on the thickness or 

 thinness of sowing the seed or any taint of mouldiness or musti- 

 ness. American seed that has been grown east of the Cascade 

 mountains where it is sown for the oil mills is not adapted to 



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