Some Minor Farm Crops. 
133 
in the spring, as early as the land will permit. Usually it is 
possible to sow on light soils at the end of March or the 
beginning of April, whereas on heavier land it is seldom 
possible to get the seed in before the end of April. However, 
many varying influences have to be taken into account and 
only the farmer can say when his land is in a suitable condition 
for receiving the seed. 
It has always been a common practice in some districts 
to sow “ seeds ” with the flax ; the conditions seem to be 
specially favourable to the production of a good “seeds” crop, 
and little if any harm is done to the line. In Yorkshire, at the 
present day, the line crop is always regarded as the forerunner 
of good clover crops. 
Seeing that the object in view is to raise a crop of great 
uniformity, it is of importance to have the seed bedded at a 
uniform depth, otherwise an irregular crop will result. To 
attain this end some farmers prefer to drill the seed so 
as to avoid the uncertainty of distribution and lodgement 
attending hand sowing. After sowing, the seed should be 
covered by lightly harrowing cross-wise, and then lightly 
rolling the seed bed. 
Owing to the conditions of flax cultivation and the slender 
growth of the plant, the development of weeds is greatly 
favoured. It may be taken for granted, however, that line 
crops are grown only on relatively clean land, and that weeds 
have been reduced to a minimum by previous cultivations. 
For the production of the best results it is always necessary to 
go over the land to remove weeds of large growth such as 
thistles, docks and charlock, but it is doubtful whether the 
careful hand-weeding which is practised in Holland and 
Belgium would be profitable in this country. The weeding 
must be attended to quite early, when the line is only a few 
inches above ground, otherwise the crop will not only suffer 
by the presence of the weeds but will receive damage by 
trampling during their removal. 
When once above ground the plants grow rapidly, especially 
if frequent showers fall during the month of June, when an 
increase of about an inch may take place during twenty-four 
hours. 
There is no doubt that the value of the fibre is reduced 
considerably if the crop is allowed to stand in the field until 
the seed is ripe. Only when flax is grown as a linseed crop 
is it allowed to become fully ripe, the straw thereby being 
deprived of its oily sap, and the fibre losing in spinning 
quality, becoming dry and somewhat harsh. But, however 
this may be, there is no need entirely to disregard such a sub- 
stantial 'asset as the seed represents. The most advantageous 
