assume. The strawberry plant is a remarkable example of this 

 peculiarity of this instability of individualism, owing to the source 

 of supply. For instance, the Riga seed seems to take longer to 

 ripen than the Dutch. While the Riga seed is uetter adapted 

 for light or medium soils, and the Dutch to heavy soils, the 

 Dutch also produces a finer fiber than the Riga. There is also 

 a variety called "White Flowering Flax," which grows very tall 

 with a white blossom; growing tall and fine in the straw, pro- 

 ducing a large yield of good fiber and easily retted, and does 

 well on Puget Sound, but the seed deteriorates rapidly and re- 

 quires to be pedigreed by thick sowing and allowed to fully ripen. 

 There is also a variety called "Royal Flax Seed," which grows 

 very fine and tall on Puget Sound. Athough it does not do 

 so well in Europe. It is well to bear in mind the peculiar vari- 

 ties of the different varieties of flax seed, that it is a matter of 

 the greatest importance, that the seed that is the best adapted to 

 local conditions should be used. DoUbtless there is still room for 

 much experiment and many considerable divergencies will be 

 found from European experience and high rewards, and much 

 fascinating enjoyment and pleasure from such horticultural in- 

 vestigations will be experienced. 



Before entering into details, there are some fundamental prin- 

 ciples that are at the base of the flax industry which should be 

 thoroughly comprehended and constantly borne in mind and gov- 

 ern flax grower at all times in modifying any of these in- 

 structions as the intelligent farmer may require to meet his in- 

 dividual requirements. 



FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES 



WEEDS ARE DEATH TO FLAX.— I repeat, weeds are death 

 to flax, and once more I say, "WEEDS ARE DEATH TO FLAX." 

 It is worse than useless to attempt to grow flax for fiber on 

 weedy ground on Puget Sound or anywhere else. Care and neat- 

 ness are necessary in tillage, harvesting and all subsequent pro- 

 cesses. Careless culture will leave foul and cloddy ground upon 

 which you cannot produce first quality flax. Careless tying of 

 bundles will lower the price of the straw at the mill from $1.00 

 to .$3.00 per ton, even though the quality of the flax is above the 

 average in other respects. Why? The accompanying cuts will 

 explain. In one case the mill will receive the bundle with satis- 

 faction, in the other with the individual sftraws all tied up 

 "higgldy-piggldy" up and down the bundle, the mill will require 

 it to be opened and retied before it can be put into the brakes, 

 and where the roots are all evenly placed they are all broken off 

 at the first stroke, while in the other case it requires the bundle 

 to be untied and retied at an extra expenditure of time, labor and 

 cash, and the grower docked accordingly. Third. — Good seed 

 and even sowing on a well prepared seed bed is absolutely in- 

 dispensable for the reason that if the crop is patchy or uneven, 

 from poor sowing and bad seed or cloddy seed bed, some of the 

 flax grows thin and coarse in straw, while other portions grow 

 thick in straw. As the finer straw takes a longer time 



