2 BULLETIN 655, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
The growth of the plant, as well as the yield and quality of the oil, 
will be influenced to a certain degree by geographical .ocation with 
the varying conditions of soil and climate. Therefore the cultiva- 
tion of the plant in various geographical locations followed by analysis 
of the oil, both as regards yield and quality, serves as an excellent 
combination for comparison with respect to the effect of plant selec- 
tion and geographical source upon the oil. A study of this problem 
was accordingly undertaken along the lines mentioned. 
During two successive seasons selected varieties of flax were grown 
in widely separated localities having different son and climatic con- 
ditions. The oil was extracted from the seeds of different varieties 
thus obtained and the various oils compared each year in order to 
ascertain any existing differences in composition in the different 
varieties when grown in one or several localities. The varieties upon 
which these studies were made represented two or more distinct types 
of flax. The quality of these oils from the standpoint of their useful- 
ness as paint and varnish oils was studied and this information made 
available for use in the selection of varieties combining yie.d and 
quality of oil in any one or ail localities. 
VARIETIES OF FLAX. 
Four varieties of flax were chosen and used as a basis for the 
investigation. These were selected by the Office of Cereal Investi- 
gations as representing two distinct types of seed flax. Reference 
will be made to the varieties as C. I. (Cereal Investigations) numbers. 
The four varieties grown and tested for oil content and composi- 
tion are as follows: C. I. No. 3, Damont (North Dakota 1215); 
C. I. No. 12, Primost (Minnesota No. 25); C. I. No. 13 (North Dalota 
Resistant No. 114); C. I. No. 19 (Russian). C. I. Nos. 3 and 10 
represent typical seed-flax varieties, while C. I. Nos. 12 and 13 are 
earlier maturing and resistant varieties yielding less under semiarid 
conditions. 
These varieties- were grown during the seasons of 1914 and 1915 
at stations located as follows: Moccasin, Mont.; Dickinson and Man- 
dan, N. Dak.; Newell and Highmore, S. Dak.; Archer, Wyo., and 
Burns, Oreg. These stations are located in more or less widely sepa- 
rated flax-growing localities where the conditions of soil and climate 
are likewise different. 
The conditions at the various stations with respect to altitude, 
soil, precipitation, and evaporation are shown in Table I. 
Considerable variation in latitude and longitude exists between 
the several stations. The variation in longitude is 19° 40' and in 
latitude 5° 18'. The northernmost stations are Moccasin, Mont., 
and Dickinson, N. Dak.; the southernmost is Archer, Wyo. High- 
more, S. Dak., is located farthest east, while Burns, Oreg., is the 
most westerly station. 
