remove five times as much potash, three times as much phos- 

 phoric acid, and nearly one and one-half more nitrogen than a 

 crop of flax. A crop of corn removes a half more nitrogen, 

 twice as much potash and about the same amount of phos- 

 phoric acid. While a good crop of oats removes practically the 

 same amount of nitrogen and phosphoric acid and about three- 

 fourths more potash than a crop of flax. Compared with wheat, 

 flax removes less phosphoric acid and potash per acre and about 

 half more nitrogen. Potatoes remove about the same quantity 

 of phosphoric acid, one-third less nitrogen, three times more 

 potash than an average crop of flax. In flax growing the heaviest 

 draft falls on the nitrogen, but when clover is grown, the loss 

 of nitrogen is not a serious matter, because one fair crop of 

 clover will more than return all the nitrogen removed by two 

 crops of flax. From our analysis of weeds, it appears there is 

 in many cases more actual fertility lost in the weeds growing 

 with the flax than in the flax itself. The great difficulty with 

 the flax crop is due more to getting the soil out of condition 

 than the removal of fertility. It is safe to say that with a 

 proper rotation of crops there is no great danger of soil ex- 

 haustion from flax raising, and an average yield of fifteen bushels 

 of flax seed per acre will remove less fertility than 150 bushels 

 of potatoes, forty-five bushels of corn or thirty bushels of wheat. 



PREPARATION OF THE SOIL. 



Here the benefit of bearing in mind the fundamental prin- 

 ciples is exemplified as a guide to practice, the observant farmer 

 will note the peculiarity of the root system of the flax and be 

 guided accordingly. This consists of a single tap root 

 penetrating deeply into the soil, and taking its chief nourish- 

 ment from below. It stands to reason that the deeper and more 

 permeable the soil and seed bed can be made, the larger will be 

 the crop of flax. Unlike wheat or oats, that tiller with a mass 

 of fibrous roots, feeding near the surface and spreading out in 

 every direction for nutriment. The flax root has few lateral 

 fibers attached, consequently, to secure a close continuity be- 

 tween the root and soil, the soil requires to be compact below, 

 friable and moist above, conditions admirably met by the sys- 

 tem of Intensive Culture, and the practice of the dust mulch. 

 The observance of this fundamental principle calls for deep 

 plowing in the fall, rolling and surface stirring in the spring and 

 modified, of course, with a dash of common sense to suit the local 

 requirements. Light land requiring more stirring and rolling 

 and heavy clay soils more stir and less rolling and to be got info a 

 state commonly known as a light tilth, or like an onion bed. If 

 clover sod is intended to precede flax, plow in the fall deeply 

 eight or ten inches or more if possible, burying the sod well with 

 a jointer or skim plow. If a hard pretentive subsoil exists, it 

 will pay to run a subsoil plow in the furrow, breaking the hard- 

 pan to eighteen or twenty inches deep, but not bringing it to 

 the surface. Smooth the land with a harrow and if the land 



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