1000000030

566 / 1042

F L A 600 ') T L 11.
dew from the trces prevent thc 03~ ";ithin the reaeh
~f the Irees fromgrowing to 3ny perfeélion.
01' prec~ding crops, potatoes and he,,? are the bd!
preparation for Oax. In Ihe fens of Lineoln, upon pro–
per ground of old , Ihey fow hclt,p, dcng,ng well
Ihc lirl! ym; Ihefc.ond year hcmp wil houl dung; Ihe
Ihird yea< flax.without dung; and that l~me year acrop
of luruip eal on the ground by Ihcep; Ihe founh year
hemp ",ith alarge coat of dung, and fo on for ever.
.If Ihe ground be free and open, it Ih'luld be but once
ploughed, 3nd Ihal as Iha!lolV as p~IIi~le, nOI deeper
Ihan 2'~ inches. It Otould be laid Ral, reduced lOa
6ne gard~n.m()Uld by mueh harrowing, aod all nooes
and fods Otould be carried off.
Excepl ali((le pi,geon'sdung fo, coldor four ground,
noothe, dung OtOuld be uCed preparalory for Oax, be–
CAuCe it produces 100 many weeds ,. and tbrows
up the Oax Ihin and poor upon rhe Halk.
Before fowing, rhe bulky clods Otould be broken,
or carried off Ihe ground l and nones, quickenings, and
emy olher thing thal may hinder Ihe growlh of Ihe
nax, fhould be remored.
o¡ lb, choic. o[ LiIJI/ud. The brighler in colollr, and
he31'ie, Ihe Ceed is, Co mueh the be((er: that which
when bl'uifed appears of a lighl or yellowilh green, and
freOt in Ihe hean, .oily and not dry, and fmells and
taHes Cweel, and not fual', may be depended upon.
Dutch Ceed of Ihe preeeding year's growth, for Ihe
mon pan, anCIVer! bdl; but it Celdom fuceeedsif kcpt
anorher year. lt ripens fooner than any orher foreign
Cced. Philadelphia feed produces fine lint and few bolls,
beeauCe fOIVn thick, and aoClVers befl in wel collf Coils.
Jt iga Ceed produces coarCer Iint , and Ihe greatea quan·
tity of feed. Seots whenwell winned and kepr,
Jlnd ehanged from one kiod 01 foil 10 anorher, fome·
limes anCwers preny well; but Ihould be Cown Ihiek ,
as many of ils grains are bad, and fail. !t fprings well,
and ils flax is foooer ripe than any olher; blll its pro·
duce afterwards is gencrally inferior to Ihat fromfa·
reigo feed.
A kind has been lately imponed, calJed memmel·
feed, whieh looks IVdl, is fhon and plump, but Cddom
grolVs above eight ine~es, and .00 thal accouul ought
nOI 10 be fown.
Uf S'/UJing I.intfud. The quantity of linlfted (olVn,
fllOuld be proponioned tO Ihe condilion of the foil;
for ir d'e ground be in good hean, and Ihe fecd fown
Ihick, rhe erop will be in dan~er of fJlling .before il i!
ready for pulling. Fromdel'en 10 Iweh'e peck! Lin·
JithgolV meaCure of Dutch or Risa feed, is generally
fufficienl for one Seots acre ; aod aboul len pecks of
Philadelphia feed, whieh bting Ihe (mallen graioed,
¡¡DeSfmhen Riga lintfced, aod Ihe nexI year's pro·
duce of it, is prefcrreJ inLincolnfl,irf.
Tite lime for fowing lintfced is trom the middle of
Mareh to rhe end of April, as the grounJ and feafon
anfwttS; but theearlitrthe Cced is Cowo, the lefs the
erop interftles wilh Ihe eorn·harvcn.
Lote COIVn limfeed OIaysrow long, but Ihe flax upon
the Ilall will be Ihin and ponr.
fowing, Ih: srounJ ou&ht 10 be harrowed lill
the Cce,1is we1\ comed, and then (Curpnfing Ihe foil
as btfore ntenrione.l to be free aDd rcduecd 10 a fioe
moulJ) the r.round oughltObe rolkd.
When a farnter folVs a I"ge quantilY of limfced,
he may find it proper tO fol'l a par! earlier and pan lal'
ter, Ihat in the future opemions of weeding, pullrng,
wmring, and gralling, the workmay be Ihe eafier a.d
more ronveniently gone abou!.
!t oughl always tO be fo"o Dn a dry bed.
O[ W" ding FLAX. It o\l;:ht 10 be weeded whenIhe
erop is about four inehes long. If longerdeterred, the
weeders Itill fo mueh break and erook Ihe Iblkl, Ihat
Ihey will never perhaps recovertheir araighlnefs again;
and when Ihe flAX grows erooked , il is more liable tO
be hun in lhe nppling and (wingling.
Q ~ening.grafi fltould nOI be takenup; for, being
f1rongly rooted, tbepulling of il alwal'sloofens adealuf
the linl.
If there is 30 appearance of a Cenled droughl, il i.
belter to defer the weedins, than by Ihal oprralionto
expofe Ihe tender roolS of Ihe Rax to the drotlght.
How Coon the "'eeds are gOt OUI, Ihey ouSht 10 be
earried off the neld, inJlead of being hid in tht furo
ro",s, where they oflen take rool again. 2ndat any <ate
obarutl the growth of theflax. in Ihe furrolVs.
O[ Pullillg FLAx. When the erop grolVs (o /horl anJ
braoehy, as to appear more vaJoable for Ceed than Aax,
it ought not tO be pulled before it be Ihoroughly ripe ;
but if it gro",s long and not branehy, the feed flroulJ
be diCregard:d, and all Ihe attenlion siven tO Ihe flax.
lo !he laf! cafe it ought 10 be pulled after Ihe bloonl
ha! fallen, when the lIalk beSins to turn yellolV, 2nd be·
fore the leaves fall, and the bolls tU ro barJ aod fharp–
poinled.
When the aalk is Cmall, and carries few bolls, the
flax is fine; but Ihe nalk of eoarfe ftax is grofs, rank,
branchy, and carries ntany bolls.
When Aax has fallen and lies, fueh as lies ought 10
be immedi~.tely pulled, whether il has grown enough
or not, as olherwife it will rOl altogelher.
When pans of the fame field grolV unequally, (o
that fome pans are ready for pulling before olherparts ;
only whal is ready fltould be pulled, and Ihe rea Ihould
be CufFmd to f1and tillready.
The Aax-raiCer ouShl tO be at pains 10 pull, and keep
by itCelf, eaeh difFmnt kind o( linl which he finds in
his field ; whal is both long and fine, by itfdf; ",ha
ii bOlh long aod coarfe, by ilrelf; whal is bOlh /h01l
and fioe, by itfeH; \Vhal is both fhorl and eoarf:, by.
ilfelf; and in like manoer mry other kind by "reU
Ihat is of the fame fize and qualilY. If tht d,ll'elcnt
kinds be not Ihus kept ftparate, Ihe Bax mul! be much
d.ntased in Ihe walcring, aoJ Ihe olher fucmdlOg
opemions.
\Vhat is eommonlycallen unJer growlh, maybene·
glctled as ufeleCs. .
Few perfons Ihat have fcen flax rulled, are Ignoranl
of the method of laying it in hanJfuls mofs other:
whieh gÍl'es Ihe flax (uflidcnl ~ir, .nd keep the IlInd·
fuls Ccpm te and re1dyfur Ihe rippb. .. .
O[Sl3c1mg tlp f LAX durmg Il ,' ',úIJ/fr, " .J 111':"",1,