38 BULLETIN 398, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 
VARIETAL EXPERIMENTS IN NURSERY ROWS. 
Nursery work with flax was not started until 1914, when 50 va- 
rieties and strains were tested. These varieties were grown in fiftieth- 
acre and hundredth-acre plats and in 8-rod rows. Most of them 
were recent importations from Europe which were grown in this 
country for the first time in 1914. 
In 1915 the flax nursery was increased. In addition to the tests 
in fiftieth-acre plats and 8-rod rows, 204 selections were grown in 
head rows. Some of the head rows were selections from the most 
promising varieties and some were selections from a natural hybrid. 
A view of the flax nursery in 1915 is shown in figure 17. 
Several promising varieties which are now being grown in the 
nursery will soon be added to the varietal test. 
Fig. 17. — The flax nursery at the Judith Basin substation, 1915. (From a photograph lent by the Office 
of Exhibits, U. S. Department of Agriculture.) 
DATE-OF-SEEDING EXPERIMENT. 
There appears to be some question as to the proper date on which 
to sow flax. The impression seems to exist in some sections that 
flax should be sown later than the spring grains. The date-of-seed- 
ing test at Moccasin has not been conducted long enough to justify 
drawing definite conclusions from it. The results seem to indicate, 
however, that early seeding is the best. In 1915 the highest yield 
was obtained from the plat seeded on April 9. While there was 
some freezing weather after this date it apparently did no harm to 
the flax. The tests at Moccasin show that flax should be sown not 
later than May 1, as seedings made after that date will not produce 
as good yields. 
RATE-OF-SEEDING EXPERIMENT. 
A rate-of-seeding test with flax is being conducted at Moccasin, 
but, like the date-of-seeding test, it has not been continued long 
enough to justify any definite conclusions. During the last three 
years the varietal plats have been seeded at the rate of 18 pounds 
