DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 223 



country have shown that good fiber and good seed can he secured from the same 

 crop, as set forth in the Reports of the Fiber Investigation Series of this Department. 



Soil selection. — Too much care can not be exercised in the selection of the soil for 

 this crop. The Belgian flax farmer selects a deep and well-cultivated soil that is 

 not too heavy, experience proving that in a dry, calcareous soil the stalk remains 

 short, while in a heavy, clayey soil it gives greater lengtb, though at the expense of 

 fine fiber. In Ireland any clean land in good state of fertility that will produce a 

 good crop of wheat, oats, or barley is considered suitable for flax. On heavy soils 

 the Dutch seed is thought to give best results, while Riga seed is sown upon the 

 light or medium soils. Recent experiments in our own country have demonstrated 

 that the heavier, soils, when well drained and of proper fertility, are preferable to 

 the lighter soils, known as sandy loams. In general terms, a moist, deep, strong 

 loam upon upland will give best results. Barley lands in the Middle States and new 

 prairie lands or old turf in the Western States are frequently chosen. Some former 

 New York flax growers inclined to a heavy clay for the production of fiber and seed, 

 though a wet soil will be fatal to success. A soil full of the seeds of weeds is to be 

 avoided above all things, and weeds should be eliminated by previous cultivation as 

 far as possible. 



Soil preparation. — In this country too little attention is paid to the importance of 

 deep plowing and reducing the seed bed to the proper tilth. Many foreign flax grow- 

 ers urge that the land should be fall plowed, though there are some who are of a dif- 

 ferent opinion, but it is recognized by all that the land should be brought almost to 

 the condition of garden soil before the seed is sown. On small tracts of a few acres 

 in Europe this is accomplished by spading over the land, although such laborious 

 methods can not be adopted in the United States. Deep fall plowing with a cross 

 plowing in the spring is a good practice to follow. Where there are heavy clay loams 

 two plowings in the spring will give better results than one. The number of har- 

 ro wings will depend wholly upon the lumpiness of the soil, as all clods must be broken 

 up and the soil made fine and even. The roller should he used to make the ground 

 as smooth and level as possible and to press into the soil any small stones that may 

 be upon the surface. Heavy lands that from their situation are liable to to be more 

 or less covered with surface water during the winter should be avoided. On account 

 of the extra labor necessitated upon heavy land it is better, therefore, to choose the 

 medium soils that will yield readily to the action of the elements and to the plow 

 and harrow. 



Fertilizing. — On the new lands of the West good crops may be grown for a number 

 of years without manures, though in time fertility must be exhausted and poor crops 

 will inevitably follow. The flax crop, of all crops, makes heavy demands upon the 

 soil, and for this reason it is frequently called an exhaustive crop. The stem of the 

 flax plant is tall and slender, growing rapidly, and the long roots, as they push down 

 deeply, must have something to feed upon to make vigorous growth and good straw. 

 It is on account of this habit of the plant to extend its roots to such depth in the 

 earth that plowing and fine tilth are so essential ; and the roots must find food or the 

 plant will be of slow growth, woody, and deficient in fiber, and the product inferior 

 both as to quality and quantity. Any crop is exhaustive to the soil that is grown 

 year after year on the same land, where everything is taken away and nothing 

 returned. In Belgium and other flax-growing countries, where land has been under 

 cultivation for generations, stable manure is applied to the land before winter sets 

 in. Then in spring, before sowing time, the ground is heavily treated with fer- 

 tilizers, or night soil in solution is poured over it. A great deal of the material is 

 brought from the towns and kept in closed receptacles or reservoirs until the time 

 for using it on the ground. Stable manures are used in connection with chemical 

 fertilizers. Of the latter it is common to employ from 600 to 800 kilograms per hec- 

 tare, or, roughly, from 500 to 750 pounds per acre, and to go over the ground with 

 the liquid night soil in addition. Stable manures should be well rotted to avoid foul- 

 ing the crop with weeds, which germinate and grow with the flax. Dr. Ure formerly 



