Flax

Agricultural record by Fieldmaster Bram Thornbury

Classification: Fiber Crop
Habitat: Temperate farmland
Uses: Cloth, oil

Description

Slender stems topped with delicate blue flowers wave in summer breezes. Flax has been cultivated since the earliest days of civilization, providing both fiber for cloth and seeds for oil. It grows in dense stands, the stems rising to waist height.

Cultivation

Plant seeds densely in spring. Requires adequate moisture and well-drained soil. Harvest entire plant before seeds mature for fiber, or allow to mature for seed harvest.

Uses

Processed stems yield linen fiber for cloth. Seeds pressed for linseed oil, used in cooking, wood finishing, and paint making. Seed cake feeds livestock. Blue flowers make pleasant garden additions.