GROW LINSEED OF FEEDING PURPOSES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3244, 17 May 1916, Page 10

GROW LINSEED OF FEEDING PURPOSES.

Whether farmers will grow linseed yet awhile is a moot question; but the time will surely come when this crop will be more generally grown in New Zealand. It is necessary to rear the heifer calves from the best cows on the farm quite as much as it is desirable to rear as largo a number of calves of the beef type for fattening purposes. Milk as an economical food for calves is an impossibility in view of the great and ever increasing demand for the milk for cheese and butter-making. Skim milk if used must be made up of its fat. The question rises therefore whether the farmer can produce linseed at less cost than he can buy it. It will grow on any medium good land provided it is clean, though the bast results appear to be obtained on loam with a stiff subsoil. The straw is not much good .as litter for stock, as it is tough and wiry; hut for thatching purposes it might answer well enough. Probably there is a future, for linseed straw for making paper if the supply was forthcoming, and the chaff, which is mostly the remains of the broken seed capsules, is good for all except very young stock. The Board of Agriculture "(England), in view of the probabilities of a greater number of English farmers attempting to grow what to many of them was a new crop, recently issued a leaflet containing some suggestions on the cultivation of the crop. There are about 90 known species of the plant, hut so far as the p tactical farmer is concerned there is only one cultivated individual snecies, Linurn usitatissimuns. Since linseed requires a clean seed-bed, it may be advisable to take it after a root crop; but excellent crops are often grown after a heavy oat crop which leaves a clean stubble. Flax may be sown by itself or with clover seeds, which, according to some authorities, do better with flax than with any other crop. As regards the preparation of the soil and manuring, a fino, clean, compact seed-bed is required. This allows of the seed being covered to a uniform depth, and also permits rapid germination, this being very important. In order to secure this, the land should be autumn ploughed to a depth of 7in to Sin. and in spring, if the soil is of a heavy nature, a shallow ploughing of 3in to 4in may be necessary, but grubbing and cultivation followed by harrowing and rolling will generally give the desired result. A farmer may "find, however, that owing to the peculiarity of the season, or because of economic or other conditions —e.g., sheep feeding or green crop—he is unable to sow some of his intended cereal "break" with spring corn. In this case, if a suitable seed-bed can be obtained after the crop has been eaten off, a few acres of linseed may be sown instead. Compactness is an important feature of the ideal seed-bed, as it allows of the ascent of water from the lower strata to the somewhat shallow root system of the crop. The soil should be worked deeply and then consolidated, especially in the drier localities, in order that it may maintain all through the growing period a sufficiency of moisture* and so allow of a full development of seed. On no account must the ?eed-bed be loose and friable. Land must not be in too high condition, or the crop is liable to "lodge." Farmyard manure is most suitable when applied to the crops preceding flax, especially if a good quality fibre is desired. If applied directly, and this is admissible in the case of seed production, it should be well rotted. In a fresh state it causes a too luxuriant growth, which increases the possibility of "lodging," and tends to encourage weeds, thereby increasing the cost of subsequent cleaning. Potash is a great factor in the successful growth of the crop, and in the absence of the usual commercial supplies the grower should give the previous crop a liberal dressing of farmvard manure unless he is able to apply a fair quantity of wood ashes, or he might use Peruvian guano which always contains some potash.