THE CULTIVATION OF EUROPEAN FLAX.

Temuka Leader, Issue 999, 2 September 1882, Page 3

THE CULTIVATION OF EUROPEAN FLAX.

1 The following pamphlet has been ' written on the cultivation of European Flax by Mr Murphy, Secretary to. the , Canterbury A. and P. Association;— "Wilili it pat ? — This question, which is * .now attracting a very large share of the agricultural mind throughout New Zea- • land, is a very important one at the pre■’:;i sent juncture, for reasons wiiich wil : be stated farther on. The efforts which are v being made to establish Scutching and Mills throughout-the country is sufficient evidence that our farmers and f ' others are at last beginning to realise the importance of the question. The follow- ■ , ing . facts which have been carefully • ’ selected from reliable sources, will enable our readers to judge for themselves as to whether the growing of flax as an auxiliary crop dbis not offer sufficient inducement to include it among the regular crops of the farm. It is more than probable that a large area of flax will be sown in the coming season, and for the guidance - of those who may not be thoroughly ■ posted in the matter, I purpose giving a

Fe w simple hints as to the most suitably soil, and its preparation for the seed ; also the subsequent operations, up to: that stage when the farmer’s interest in the cop will have ceased. First, thex, as to soil. Therms probably no plant better, adapted to range of soil and climate than flax ; line' most plants, bpwoyer, it; thrives best in a, rich alluvial loam, and also delights im well drained bog land. There is one rule* which admits of no exception, viz., togrow paying crops the ground, must be ; free froni weeds ; with this end in view* it will bo best to select land which* has been laid down ih gras? for three or four y'ears, but any land .in; good hearE and free from weeds will answer equally well. Grass or stubble land intended for flax should receive a deep ploughing, and be allowed to remain exposed to the iuflue.nce. of- frosts -and fains of winter ; in. early, spring; it may be cross-grubbed and harrowed down fine. The extent of pulverising necessarily depends on the nature of the soil ; strong clay lands can hardly. receive too. much working,' for the finer the seed bed, the heavier will tho crops be.

The great object in harrowing and rolling before sowing tbe seed, is to have the surface of the " ground as smopth . qnd uniform as it can be made, so'.that the flax may'get ah even start, and grow more evenly, and the surface.of the ground be better to work' iu,when the flax is pulled or cut. If the seed is sown in an uneven surface, where theie are lumps, sods, and little furrows and holes, much of it will .be turned to deep, and consequently the > growth : of the straw (and fibre) will not be regular, and the seed will not mature, alike. On clean land, with a smooth surface, the crop may be cut by machinery -without much.' loss of fibre. *

After the soil has been thoroughly prepared for the seed, as described,. let h remain'about ten days, when all the seeds of noxious weeds will have vegetated. On the day that the seed is to bo sown, give the laud a thorough harrowing, which will destroy the seedling weeds which have germinated. If many lumps of earth or small stones are harrowed up the roller must bo used. And while the surface is fresh, let the seed be put in as speedily as possible, because flax seed, or any other seed, will germinate much sooner Than, and if put into soil that has not been disturbed for a number *of days. ;■ ; .

The proper time for sowing the seed must be regulated * svitlv the "season and the locality. What would be considered early sowing in the soutlf ef New Zealand would be considered very late for The north. ;. dn Canterbury, early in September appear ; the best,season'; in Otago October would probably be . earjy enough ; and in the North Island, August would probably not be too early. If sown too early severe late frosts are apt ‘to injure the crop and stunt the - growth, . encouraging at-the same time tbe,groiTtth of noxious weeds.* A.little observation and. experience, will soon, hpweror, determine, the best seed, time for each district. ......

■ It'is of great importance that none but the besfseecT should be sown, taking c;ire that it is* perfectly free from seed* of weeds;too much scare cannot be bestowed m : tbis i direction. The seed 5 should be plump, of a;rich;brewnieh hue, and oily. to,-the touch y sound sepd .will -, sink. . ..in,, water;., when bruised it should be of a yellowish green colour. But the best test for all seeds “(especially imported) is cliat of frying their Vitality in the followiog ; sim*ple fnander f — Take, say 100 seeds; place them between the fold'of*-a piece of to; be kept damp ; put in a warm place, vegetation will take place in a couple of s days, when the percentage ofj bad seeds may be ascertained by counting those wdiich have Vegetated : a sample of'sound flax seed should show 95 per cent of sprouted seeds, o ■ - .SQWi^a 'THE* SKED.T-M.tx: seeds is i ,the most difficult of all seeds to so,w by hand,, from its slippery nature; and, tor the same cause, it is also difficult to sow by the ordinary grain' drill or broadcast sower ; 'unless great care is taken, tlie Seed will ‘ come up unevenly, and ah irregular crop will be the result, if sown : in drills—a method which wifl'never produce so good a fibre as. that sown broaddrills should, not be more than four -iaches apart and one inch deep ; If sown broadcast, a couple cf strokes of a light harrow will suffice for covering, the only objection to |broadcast haad sowing is the probable destruction of the seed by the birds. Some of the most successful flsx growers in America will not allow a team of horses bn the land after the seVl has bsen sown, preferring to cover the seed with adigbt brush harrow, stfc- -wide,-* with which an active man can cover from four to .five acres per dat. If sown, in the first week of. September, the crop should be harvested by the first week of January, just before the rush of the grain harvest commences. ■ If the ground is warm and moist when the seed is sown, it will germinate in a few day*, and will get the start of weeds, keeping the ascendancy throughout ‘the season.' The general -result will- he a greater abundance of fibre, bettor seed, and a greater yield. The Quantity of Seed per Ache; —This must be determined ,by the object f< r vhich the crop is raised. If for seed, as small a quantity as half a bushel (of 531bs) will suffice on strong land ; if for

‘feel rnrrni v fc'nMbT TeC?3TftliiicYM''''r<?§R' than I.V bushels per statute acre. This quantity of seed is found in America to produce the greatest proportion of seed and lint. In Britain, where the crop h grown principally f *' fill's, as much as 3 bushels per acre -Me sown. When half a bushUlof s|ed fnly is r apwujj the plants form rumteiWs * branched ; 'the fibre" of coarse flax will not make such good lint as tke long branchless stalks, it is only fit for coarse tow, indeed I doubt very much whether it would pay for stebping and dressing, but w.ould he eligible for making, papbrl o£ the finest quality. . ■ When to Pull (oh Cut.)— Presuming that the seed has been harrowed in on a fine seed bed sufficiently firm to present the horses feet from sinking and covering tiie seed too deeply, which will cause the crop to ripen unevenly, the time for pulling 01 cutting will be when the bolls assume a brown colour, and tlio leaves have withered from one fourth the long! h of Iheystefnif, -and F ihe/stems Hlioniselycs flute ciiiiilged ffom a deep green td a light yellowish colour. At this stage of growth, it will yield more fibre than if cut at any other period. •• When flax is allowed to stand until it ii dead ripe, the seed will be of superior quality, but the fibre will not hfr so heavy, strong, or soft. There is not much art required in pulling die flax, it is caught a short way below the bolls in handfulls, and by a dexterous jerk of the arm removed from the soil and laid in- GODvienient-sized; handfuls, which may be easily grasped, so as not to tangle, taking care, the while, to keep the root ends as oven as possible. Five men should pull an acre of good flax in a day. The Americans have invented several machines for pulling' flax, but as y r et with little success, as most of them injurs the fibre more or less. A perfect machine, of this description, would be a great boon to growers. When it is determined to cut the crop by machinery, care should be taken to set the knives as close to the ground as possible, otherwise a great loss of fibre would be the .result. The want of a machine' ‘ capable of threshing find cleaning the seed, at the same time piesei'vipg the straiv jntact, .without.injuring the fibre, is much 'felt, and it would do much to promote the growth of flax for fibre purposes if successfully carried to an

issue. Watering ok Hitting. — This has, very justly been teimed the most important process the flax, while in the hands of the grower, hss to pass through ; for no matter how suitable the soil, how well it has been prepared, or what amount of care and skill may have been brought to bear in the operations of sowing, pulling, or cutting, etc. ;Ino matter, in fact, what truiu of fortuitous* circumstances may have conspired to render the crop one of the best that possibly could bo grown ; a single clay, nay, a few hours under or over watering, may reduce it 30, 40, or 50 per cent in value. -More'than this it is unnecessary to say, in order to convince the new and inexperienced flax-grower of the necessity of procuring the practical experience of someone accustomed to such ivork. This should be one of the functions of any Company formed for the promotion- of the flax., industry, viz., to send out one or more competent instructors to assist the inexperienced in preparing the flax cropland making the most of it, The-aoouer the flax* is- got-into the steep pools after pulling or cutting, the Better will bo the fibre ; at least, such is the many flax-growers, although a system prevails on the Continent of Europe, and in America, of stacking the straw with the seed on as soon as quite dry till after harvest, when the seed is taken off, and it is either dew or water-retted during the autumn, or the seed' may *b« taken off during the winter, and the' retting lake''glace the following spr!ixg : or 'summer.* The following is extracted from a pamphlet entitled ‘ Instructions for the Culture and Preparation of flax in Ireland,’ by Mr Michael Andrews,* Secretary Flax Supply As- <• Great advarffage will be gained when the practice-frequently followed on the Continent can be brought into operation here, viz :—Drying the flax on the field, stacking it till the following spring ; then when the weather becomes warm enough, retting and grassing it ; hitherto this system lias not been attended witli success in Ireland. *'Tins obstacle will no doubt yield as . ekill is brought .into operation. Ireland has a climate that admirably answers the growth of the plant, but by the time it is ready for the dam, (he weather has usually changed ; chilly [jights arc not imfrcquent,. ..which check the fermentation, and often che process of.4ry'ng,9U *thp grass at so late,a season is uncertain and difficult. Flax sprendi.ig generally occurs at the time of the Equinox; the high winds which prevail at that period do great injury by lifting it off the grass, tossing and scattering it in every direction I have known crops from this cause,* almost completely lost. ReG ting an,(j |grassing ,-l'hc .samei. season as grown, is always a very hurried business, n ore particularly as it occurs just at the time attention must he given to the grain crop. So long as the farmer performs the operations that follow' the period when the crop has reached maturity, the present system will be practised, more especially by the small farmers who cannot wait till tho following summer for g tmm from the crop ; tho day, however, without doubt, will come when the far-

liVers ,# pVovince' sfi -’T] ’be "only to grow the crop, leaving the preparation to who «ill perform it, as a separate intlns| try, and this time will be hastened wber| tlic culture shall be improved, and moreji uniformity in the crop attained. . . .* At present flax is sometimes rird and’stacker! in the Npflh, but|thfe Adoption oft ? this method 'will probably be attended} with more success in the South, where thebetter climate will facilitate the operation,| and coming'earlier to maturity will enable} the drydng to be done during a more: favorable season. , . The maniphla ; tion. subsequent, to the crop reaching The: stage of maturity, will eventually become a separate enterprise, and be attended with results equal in uniformity to what is produced by other manufacturing processes.” The above remarks are, ia my opinion, singularly adapted to our own circumstances.

The subsequent operations are,‘termed “ Dressing,”-by which ;th'c J fibfe hp separated from the rest'of the plant, and the implements in common use are simple and of easy construction. They consist of the brake, sometimes called crackle, the flax-mill, and hackle. By the brake the woody stem is broken into small pieces, which mostly fall out during tho operation, while tho flax-mill cleans out the remainder and knocks off the outside covering of tho fibre. The hackle is used to straighten the fibre and draw or comb out the tangled Hire, which is called tow. Having said so much relative to the growth, etc., of flax crop, I shall now give the probable cost of production, and the yield per acre. Rent and taxes of 1 acre good land... ... £2 0 0 Ploughing, grubbing, harrowing and rolling ... ... 2 0 0 One and a-half bushels of seed at 10s ... ... ... 0 15 0 Mowing, carting, and threshing ... ... ... ... 110 0 Retting and grassing... ... 110 0 Paid at Mill for crushing and scutching straw 2 10 0 £ll 5 0 RETURN. 20 bushels of seed (53lbs per bushel), at Os ... ... £6 0 0 5j cwt fibre, at 50s per cwt... 13 16 0 19 15 0 Less cost of crop 11 5 0 Net profit per aero , v.. £8 10 0 The value to a district of 500 acres of flax from the producers’ and manufacturers’ standpoint would be as. follows, based on the aboe estimate of cost and return, viz. ; 500 acres of flax, yielding 20 bushels of seed per acre — 10,000 bushels of 531 b, at 6s per bushel ... £3OOO 0 0 5-Pcwt fibre per acre —127 tons 10 cwt,at £SO per ton 6875 0 0 £9875 0 0 Deduct cost of production—£ll 5s per acre ••• 5625 0 0 Net profit to the district having spent £5625 in labor rent and taxes ... ... £4250 0 0 THE COMPANY’S PROBABLE EARNINGS ON THE ABOVE. 10,000 bushels seed, yielding 25 per cent oil — 16,562 gals., at 3s per gal. £2484 6 0 Residue, as oil cake, 1781tons, at -|d per lb, £7 10s per ton ... ... ... 1335 0 0 Dressing 137 tons 10 cwt of fibre fdr the Linn (5| cwt per acre) at £lO pel tori.. ~ 1375 0 0 ' J£5194 6 0 Less cost of seed ... 3000 0 0 £2194 G O It must not be supposed,that I advocate the establishment of a number of small separate companies ; on the contrary, I think such a course would be a great mistake. One central'mill for crushing the. seed for oil dressing and manufacturing the fibre into twine, etc., would be quite enough for the Provincial District of Canterbury—The central Company establishing scutching mills in all the flax-growing districts. Appended is the' cost' of an oil mill capable of 'crushing 20,000 bushels of seed annually; or the produce of 1000 acres. The difference in working a plant to consume the produce of 200 acres and 1000 acres would be very small, consequently the proportionate earn'rigs would be in favor of the larger plant. It will thus be apparent that flax properly handled is a paying crop, that is, when ■we have the appliances,' in' the"'way of machinery, to enable us to utilise the whole of-the crop to the"* best■■advantage. If every fanner who has suitable land will grow a few acres 1 his coming season o.i perfectly' clean land, prepared and sown as indicated m this paper, tho aggregate quantity would be considerable, and ti e risk of loss minimised. Cost of plant (oil) ... - £420 0 0 Freight, etc, say .. . ... 140 0 0 Engine and boiliT (6 horse) 200 , 0 0 Fittings and buildings ... 240 0 0 £IOOQ 0 0 (To he continued.)