Fowle's New Hampshire Gazette And General Advertiser

Agriculture.

From the New System of Husbandry, vol. I. p. 333

On Sowing, and Land proper for Flax.

THE most proper land for this valuable crop, is that of a loamy clay, either such as has been under tillage, or grass land, but if the former, it must be in good condition, and well and deep plowed, to destroy weeds and make it fine mould, fit to receive the crop. However, old grass or lay land is much the best, and what the English farmers generally make choice of. --It is very common for flax farmers there, to give five pounds sterling an acre to other farmers that do not understand the branch for one crop, --and after the flax is pulled, the land is very fit for a crop of wheat.

If lay land be your choice, it must be plowed only once, and that six or seven inches deep, so as to raise a good deep mold when harrowed, which must be done without tearing up the sod. When it is well harrowed, both cross and length ways, in order to raise what mould you can, you must pick up the sods, stones, &c. and throw them into the furrows, then sow the seed at the rate of two bushels to an acre, and harrow it over once in a place after sown, with the harrow drawn the wrong end foremost, which will give covering enough; when the flax is two or three inches high, roll it. If weeds grow, they must be eradicated, as flax, above all other crops, will not agree with them, which is one reason that grass land is better than such as is under tillage, because it is generally clear of weeds.

N. B. YOUNG, --in his Six months tour through the north of England, says, flax they sow generally on an old warth (i. e. sward) plough but once