to the creamery. In Europe this plan is greatly approved but 

 it must be remembered that in European flax regions the flax 

 growers are well acquainted with all the details of tlie subject, it 

 being an old established industry. While in the U. S. it is an 

 infant industry and at first might become a source of a general 

 kick. 



Sound policy in this country, I think, suggests the practice. 

 Let the grower grow the flax, let the scutcher scutch it, let the 

 spinner spin it and the weaver weave it. Let the oil mill ex- 

 tract the oil and the lace maker make her dainty hand-spun lace. 

 They are all distinct industries and should be operated independ- 

 ently. After the establishment of the flax industry on a sound 

 basis and permanency has become an established fact, and the 

 farmers educated up to it. Then it may be advantageous 

 for a number of farmers to combine and erect a community 

 scutch mill to work up their own flax and ship it to the open 

 market upon joint account and divide the profits. 



While there are hundreds of varieties of flax known to botan- 

 ists, there is at this time only one in general use for fiber produc- 

 tion, that is namely, SUMMER FLAX, LINUM USITATISSIMUM, 

 of which, however, there are several sub-varieties, such as Riga, 

 Dutch, Royal, White Flowered American. Among the different spe- 

 cies of flax maybe mentioned PERENNIAL, (Linum Perenne), still 

 cultivated in the southern part of Europe with large blue flowers, 

 but after many experiments it has failed to hold its place in 

 competition with the summer flax as a fiber producer and its use 

 has been abandoned. WINTER FLAX has also been largely 

 tested and its use finally abandoned, as it had too great a 

 tendency to branching and uncertainty in its growth. It was 

 usually sown in August and matured in early summer. SUMMER 

 FLAX (LINUM CREPETANS), this plant does not grow as tall 

 as the ordinary Summer flax, (LINUM USITATISSIMUM), nor 

 does it yield as much fiber. It has the bad habit of exploding the 

 seed capsules suddenly when ripe and scattering its seed, and 

 though producing more blossoms and seed, this is nullified by 

 the great waste and loss of seed by its explosive habit. 



SUMMER FLAX, (LINUM USITATISSIMUM), so called be- 

 cause of its extensive usefulness, is the species no^v altogether in 

 use for fiber production, and has been endorsed by the Interna- 

 tional Flax Growers' Association in Vienna, in the following 

 terms: 



As learned from numerous experiments, we recommend cul- 

 ture of the blue flowering flax, (Linum Usitatissimum Vulgare), 

 as the best. Of this species are several sub-species or varieties, 

 which have become modified by the climate and soil on which 

 they have been cultivated, such as Riga, Dutch, etc., and are 

 adapted to diff'erent locations for planting. It must be remem- 

 bered that many of the vast number of varieties of the bast fibers 

 have a remarkable tendency to respond to varying local condi- 

 tions, and one cannot predict before hand what vagaries the flax 

 crop in different localities and under different management may 



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