Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 07.djvu/795

* FLAX. 11 FLAX. white, flowers. The seeds are dark brown, gli Haiti neil. w ith acute edges. No plant qo1 yielding food to man is more useful than the Sax plant. II is highly valuable both for the fibres of its inner bark and for its seeds. Flax fibres are characterized by length, fineness, solidity, and suppleness. Their length i3 invaluable in spinning, and the nature of their surfaces prevents them from slipping on each other, thus contributing to the durability of fab ries made with them. When separated from both the bark and the inner woody portion of the stem they constitute the well-known material from which linen thread and (doth are made, and they are used for manufacturing the finest and the coarsest, fabrics, the st drib-ale and exquisite lace, linens, shirtings, and handkerchiefs, twines for shoemakers and harness-makers, cords for the warp of carpet and the body of oilcloth, sailcloth, rope, and cordage. The seeds yield by expression the drying fixed oil called linseed oil (q.v.). used for mixing paints, varnishes, etc. The remaining crushed mass is linseed cake, or oilcake, esteemed for feeding cattle, and which, when finely ground. becomes linseed meal. Linseed is sometimes used in medicine as an emollient and demulcent in irritations of the mucous membranes generally, but especially of the pulmonary and urinary or- gans. Flax has the advantage of giving employ- ment not only to an agricultural but to a manu- facturing population. In no European country is it more successfully cultivated than in Belgium, where it is employed in the manufacture of the famous Brussels lace, the crop when prepared for market sometimes exceeding in value the land on which it was produced. The excellence of Bel- gium flax must be ascribed largely to the great care bestowed on its cultivation. History. Flax has been cultivated from the earliest historic times. It i- mentioned in the Book of Exodus as one of the products of Egypt in the time of the Pharaohs, and microscopic ex- amination has shown that the mummies of Egypt air cm. lopi d in linen cloth, is ii ol Solomon, who purchased limn yam in Egypt, I as III 1 In- t inn- of Hi "t the great Egj pi ian flax i rade Egj pi -t ill gri large quantities of Max. In Eui it cultiva i Mm i - verj extensively ca rried oi i ia llj in Russia, Belgium, and Ireland, In America 11 been cultivated since the period of earliest settle nn n i . During the Civil War in the i nib efforts wei e made in somi ubsl it utc it for cotton, the supply oi which was cut I I be two fibre! di ma ad e sen! ially different i reatment, and since i he maehinerj ; ployed in the manufacture of cotton fabrics i not adapted to the manufacture of linen fabrics, the experiments were not satisfactory. For it- fibre the culture ol flax is attracting increased atten- tion in the United States, and if is being produced in small quantities for this purpose in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Washington; for it- oil it is largely grown in many Male-. Prom time immemorial flax has been cultivated in In- dia for its seed, but not for its fibre. In that climate the plants seldom exceed eighteen inches in height and are much branched, yielding a worthless fibre, but a large quantity of seed richer in oil than the European or the American seed. Cultivation. Flax will grow in almo-t any part of the United States, but it need- a strong, rich soil and careful manipulation at every stage of its production and manufacture. The heavier soils, when well drained and of proper fertility, are preferable to sandy loams; wet soils will be fatal to success. In general, a deep, moist, strong loam upon upland and free from weed-seeds, which must be avoided above all things, will give best results. As far as possible weeds should be eliminated by previous cultiva- tion. Flax is believed to make heavier demands upon the soil than does any other crop, and for this reason it is frequently called exhaustive. In Belgium and other flax-growing countries, where land has been under cultivation for generations, stable manure, which has been well rotted to avoid the danger of fouling the land with weed-. is applied before winter sets in. Previous to sowing time in spring the ground is heavily treated with fertilizers. Flax demands a greater amount of labor than almost any other crop, and unless extreme care be exercised in every step the value of the crop for fibre will be seriously impaired. Much de pends on the thickness of -owing. For a fine fibre flax must be sown thickly and be pulled before the seed is ripe; for a coarse fibre it may be given more room and the seed allowed to reach approximate maturity, but not the hard stage known as 'dead ripeness.' Coarse fibre and a crop of seed are often preferred by the grower to a crop of fine fibre alone, a departure that experience at home and abroad will countenance. especially since the disproving of the assertion that good fibre and seed cannot be produced by the same plant. Still, flax should be grown with a view of getting from the land a fine quality of fibre, while the seed, which ought to be a factor of profit, should be saved. Usually the crop i- pulled, roots and all. by hand, but if the ground be smooth it may be cut with a mower, the implement used when seed alone is passed through an ordinary threshing-machine;