its root system consists of a delicate long tap root that pene- 

 trates the soil deeply, consequently, its plant food must be fur- 

 nished in a most assimiliable and nutritive condition, though 

 not necessary in large quantity, but easily soluble in the soil 

 moisture, therefore rank, lumpy, insoluble fertilizer are not 

 adapated to the season it is sown on the previous crop. Conse- 

 quently, a two-year-old clover and grass meadow may be dressed 

 with well composted manure in the fall and plowed deeply, and 

 thin strip of the surface plowed about three inches deep with a 

 jointer plow and thrown to the bottom of the furrows and bal- 

 ance of the furrow slice eight or ten inches deep thrown over the 

 surface slice of roots, manure and clover, and left exposed to the 

 effect of frost and snow all winter. As soon as the weather 

 and soil suits, toward the middle or end of March, j)low shallow 

 (not more than three or four inches). Why? This early and 

 shallow working induces the weed seed to be started by the 

 geniality of spring into germination and the exposure to the 

 keen winds of March will kill them in the horning, then for 

 three weeks run a light harrow over the surface until the middle 

 or end of April and sow your flax seed and cover with brush, 

 harrow, plank or light roller. The foregoing is the best plan of 

 sowing. If for any cause, the foregoing is not practicable, you 

 may plant a crop of potatoes after plowing the land deeply, 

 keeping the crop well cultivated all summer. If the potatoes are 

 an early variety you can dig them in September, seed a catch 

 crop of Scarlet clover broadcast. This brings me to the subject 

 of LEGUMES, known as nitrogen collectors, and have the curious 

 property of forming nodules on the roots which absorbs nitro- 

 gen from the air if given a place in the rotation of crops, will 

 take a prominent place in increasing the fertility of the land, 

 so strongly is this property marked in LEGUMES in connection 

 with flax, that one crop of clover returns more nitrogen than 

 could be removed by two crops of flax. The following is a list 

 . of nearly all the LEGUMES, ^eas, Beans, Clover, Vetches and 

 all have the many varieties of fertilizing property in greater or 

 lesser degree. 



CULTURE. 

 In a pamphlet entitled, "Instructions for Flax in Ireland," 

 by Michael Andrews, and published by the Flax Supply Associa- 

 tion of Belfast, the following four year rotation is recommended: 



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