THE LINSEED INDUSTRY.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 1040, 28 May 1883, Page 2

THE LINSEED INDUSTRY.

Mr E. Pilbrow, who has had eighteen years’ experience as a grower of linseed; writes as follows to the Ashburton ATotZ:-—“ As clean and good land is necessary for the growth of flax, experience has taught me that good lea land is preferable to any other, until our farmers adopt a system by which thdy will rid the land of the noxious weeds they have so long and carefully cultivated. In ploughing this, say in this month or June, to get the benefit of the winter frosts, I should strongly recommend farmers to adopt the skim, in front of coulter, on their ploughs, by which means a strip (including all weeds, corn, clover, etc.) will be turned into the bottom of the fnrrow, thus preventing their re-appearance between furrows in coming crop, as well as causing the furrows to lie much closer. In reference to land, after one crop of wheat (assuming the land had been previously in grass) I would call the attention of farmers to the importance of skimming or shallow - ploughing as soon as possible after harvest, to be followed by harrowing into a fine seed bed, which will insure the germination, of all weed and corn seeds prior to winter. If thought advisable these can be grazed off by sheep, before ploughing in, which should not be done later than middle of June, not forgetting to skim. In this second ploughing, I v sbould not advise a farrow so deep as original lea furrow for wheat, because the rotted turf turned to the surface is always the seed-bed of years’ gathering ; and flax does not require a deep, but thoroughly clean seed-bed. The mode of preparation of turnip land entirely depends on its previous treatment. I should recommend the trial of flax after a crop of beans, which had been thoroughly horse and bund hoed. Mr Murphy and I perfectly agree in the quantity of seed per acre required for

production-of- seed and fibre to the best advantage, viz., bushels per acre. The next question which arises is the the most desirable mode of putting it in the ground regularly and at a uniform depth. This troubled me for years when sowing broadcast, as some seeds were lost, and others harrowed to that depth which caused them to come up several weeks after the main crop, thus rendering such plants useless for seed, which was then the only return. As I was using one of the best of English corn and seed drills, 1 resolved to try it, and regulated -the feet or coulters so that no seed should be drilled more or less than an inch in depth. By this means, under favourable circumstances, I have had every seed up in three days, and a great show in 86 hours. I then saw that the drills or raws, as used for corn) vizi., 6 to 7 inches apart, were too wide for linseed, and I resolved the next year to drill my field twice by placing half the seed in one direction, and crossing same with remaining half. This was a great improvement, but as I had become New Zealand agent for Messrs Woolnough and Co.’s which I have worked many years, I thought it advisable to order a few especially adapted for linseed, by lighter construction, and half the distance between rows. As they were commencing shipments of various corn drills to me, they immediately supplied my want, but not by drills made specially for linseed. They told me that about four years ago, when supplying large numbers of drills to Europe a similar application was made to them, and they then patented a double coulter or point, suitable to all their corn and seed drills, to be used when required in place of ordinary points, by which means the number of, raws or drills is doubled at half the distance apart. Of coarse this is everything we could desire. Beans are undoubtedly becoming one of our most important crops for exportation, and cleaning of land, being almost impervious to wet, and always realising a remunerative price. I find my previous calls on this subject have not been altogether unheard, but many more want to turn their attention to this highly productive crop, both as a clearer of land from rubbish and preparer of same for wheat.