8-1316

T he T oxas Agricultural Experiméirit Station

Neville P. Clarke, Director, College Station, Texas, The Texas A&M University System

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

FLAX IN THE NEW WORLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

FLAX IN TEXAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

EXPERIMENTAL TRIALS AND DEMONSTRATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

ACREAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

WILD FLAX SPECIES IN TEXAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

BREEDING VARIETIES FOR TEXAS CONDITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

RESEARCH ON CULTURAL PRACTICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

HAZARDS OF PRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Low Temperature Injury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Disease . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

COMMERCIAL USES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

DIVIDENDS FROM FLAX RESEARCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

THE TEXAS FLAX IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION . . . . . . . . . . . .15

THE TEXAS FLAX FESTIVAL AT KENEDY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

LITERATURE CITED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside back cover

IRVIN MILBURN ATKINS
Professor Emeritus
The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station
The Texas A&M University System

FLAX IN TEXAS
1718-1976

Flax, Linum usitatissimun L., is one of the oldest of the
crops domesticated by man. According to Dillman (18), it
was the source of oil and fiber in Ancient Egypt. The
mummies found in early Egyptian tombs were wrapped in
linen cloth. A reproduction by Wilkinson (58) shows flax
harvesting scenes painted on the walls of Egyptian tombs
(Figure 1).

Flax is believed to have originated in the Mediterranean
region of Europe, as remains of fiber and seed of flax were
found in the refuse of the Swiss Lake Dweller people of
the Stone Age (Dillman, 18).

The common blue-flowered fiber flax grown in Europe
was named by Linnaeus in 1753 (35). Tammes (47) re-
viewed several theories on the origin of flax and concluded

pthat the common flax originated from Linum angustzfoli-

urn L. which is indigenous to the territory bordering the
Mediterranean Sea. Vavilov (56), however, believed that
cultivation of flax developed independently in the Medi-
terranean area of Europe and in Asia (India).

FLAX IN THE NEW WORLD

The history of fiber flax and seed flax in the United
States was reviewed by Dillman (18). Fiber from flax
was used extensively for linen and other products at the
time early colonists settled in America. The cultivation of
fiber flax was started almost immediately, and immigrants
grew small fields of flax for home use. The flax was first
processed on the farm by housewives who became skilled
in weaving linen for home use.

Robinson (44) states that fiber flax was one of the first
crops grown at both Jamestown, Virginia, and Plymouth
Rock, Massachusetts. The Commonwealth of Virginia
offered a bounty for the production of fiber flax in 1658,
and England offered special inducements to the colonists
to produce flax fiber for the mother country. Commercial
production of fiber flax began in 1758. The invention of
the cotton gin in 1793 started the decline in the use of
linen fiber for clothing. Rapid expansion of cotton produc-
tion after the Civil War spelled doom for fiber flax culture.

From 1859 to 1900, fiber flax production gradually
moved westward from the Eastern States to the Midwest
and became concentrated in Michigan for a time. About
1900, nearly all fiber flax production moved to Oregon
(Hurst, 29). Since World War II, fiber flax production has
declined to nearly zero as cotton and synthetic fibers have
replaced linen in all types of garments.

A The growing of seed flax and the manufacture oflinseed

oil became important after 1800. As farming expanded in

the drier regions of the Midwest, seed flax became an impor-

tant dryland crop which could be produced with large-
scale farm equipment. By 1850, the center of seed flax
production had moved from New York to Ohio; by 1900,

'7'“, it had moved to North Dakota, where it has remained since.

Landon (33) states that as early as 1873 Kansas produced

63,476 bushels of flaxseed; by 1890, Kansas grew 228,839
acres of flax, producing 2,173,000 bushels}

FLAX IN TEXAS

Settlers began moving into Texas in significant numbers
about 1830. Many came from northern and eastern states
into Northeast, Southeast, and Central Texas. Others
came into Gulf ports of South Texas from the eastern
seaboard states and from foreign countries. The most
rapid settlement occurred between 1870 and 1900, when
most of Eastern and Central Texas was settled. Large
areas were brought under cultivation during this period.
Undoubtedly flaxseed, both fiber and seed types, were
brought in by many settlers, but flax as a commercial crop
did not become established during the period.

Long before the settling of Texas by Anglo-Americans
and northern Europeans, the Spanish introduction of flax
occurred. Johnson (32) states that in 1718, Father Olivares
was sent by the Governor of Coahuila and Texas to esta-
blish a fort and mission at San Antonio and that, “all
missions had farms on which they grew grain, flax, cotton,
sugarcane and vegetables.” The first immigrants of Canary
Island families arrived at San Antonio in 1718. No records
of the harvesting of flax at San Antonio during this period
have been found. However, known records show that the
Indian women were taught to spin and weave wool and
cotton, but no linen cloth is mentioned.

About a century later, Stephen F. Austin explored
Texas and wrote in 1828 that “Wheat, oats, barley and
flax have been tried” (Barker, 10). However, it is not
known where he observed these crops growing. Austin’s
sister, Mary Austin Holley, traveled in Texas a few years
later and in 1831 wrote, “Successful experiments have been
made in various places with wheat, oats, rye, barley and
flax and the results satisfactorily establish the fact that
these crops may be cultivated to any extent” (Holley, 28).

Correspondence found in British Archives (Adams, 1)
gives reports on Texas from the British Consul at Galveston
in 1842. Reporting on the Red River counties of North
Texas, they state that “corn, wheat, rye and flax grow
well.”

Other than these early statements the author has not
been able to find any references on flax growing until
near the end of this century. During the early days of the
development of commercial growing of flax in Texas in
1938, the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station received
a letter from J. I. Jamison of Daisetta, a small town in
Liberty County, Texas, along the Gulf Coast. Jamison
wrote, “When I was 10 years old, my father grew a field

1 Additional information 0n flax growing in the Midwest
may be found in Culbertson (15) and Dillman (I 7).

Figure 1. Harvest scenes found in an Egyptian tomb: (Aa) pulling flax, (b) tying flax, (c)
carrying flax bundle, (d) stripping seed from flax fiber; (Ba) pulling fiber flax, (b) cutting

wheat (Dillman, 18).

of flax in 1862. They used the fiber and considered it
worth more than the seed.’

Another reference to the use of the flax fiber was found
in an historical account of Tarrant and Parker Counties in
1895 (49). In the Agricultural Section of the account is
stated, “Flax has been grown in Texas, as fine as any in
Ireland. It will produce about two tons per acre, worth
about $45.00.” No information on where such flax was
grown is given.

Farm and Ranch magazine of February 4, 1899 (24),
quotes a correspondent of the Houston Post as stating
that a Mr. Zimmerman of Victoria grew 25 acres of flax
that year. The story states the February-seeded flax grew
25 feet tall and yielded 20 bushels of seed per acre and 4
tons of fiber. No adequate explanation of this report is
known as flax normally grows only about 24 to 36 inches
tall. It seems possible that the name of the crop could have
been confused with hemp or jute, being tested at this
time. Earlier in January 1895 (23), the same magazine
published a long article on the growing of jute and hemp
in the Galveston area.

The U. S. Department of Agriculture began census
reports on agricultural products in 1850, and 26 bushels of
flaxseed were reported for Texas (51). In 1860, the census
records 35 pounds of flaxseed in Dallas County, 25 pounds
in Greyson County, 25 pounds in Jack County, and 10
pounds in Navarro County (52). In 1870 only 25 pounds
of flaxseed were reported (53), but in 1880 a total of 73
bushels of seed and 150 pounds of flax fiber were reported
(54). In 1890, the report shows production of 794 bushels
of flaxseed, but there is no record of where this was grown
(55).

The Farm and Ranch magazine of February 1899 (24)
has a classified advertisement for flaxseed by the Texas
Seed and Floral Company of Dallas, which indicates some
interest in the growing of flax in North Texas.

The first commercial fields of flax grown in Texas for
which records were found during this study, were grown
at Vernon in 1891, 1892, and 1893. Farm and Ranch,
November 25, 1893 (22), reports that the Dolcaster
Brothers moved to Vernon from Kansas in 1891, grew 6
acres of flax in 1891, 25 acres in 1892, and 70 acres in
1893. Yields ranged from 6 to 9 bushels per acre. The
closest market was St. Louis, Missouri, where flaxseed was
quoted at $1.04 per bushel.

The U. S. Department of Agriculture established experi-
mental field stations at Channing and Amarillo in 1903
to assist in establishing crops in the High Plains area. Field

 crop experiments were conducted from 1903 to 1916,

when the stations were closed. A report of experiments by
Ross and Leidigh (45) states that observation rows of flax
were grown in 1911 and that additional tests are reported.
The report also states that “A farmer living 25 miles north-

eeast of Amarillo fgrew 250 acres of flax in 1911, which

averaged 15 bushels per acre.”
This flax success story was publicized in the Amarillo
News in the fall of 1911, and in February 20, 1912, the

 

2 Private correspondence from J. I. Jamison to P. C.
Mangelsdorj", Texas A&M University, September 1, 1938.

paper reported that D. L. Hickox planned to grow 700
acres of flax. The writer estimated that Randall and Potter
Counties would grow 15,000 acres of fiax in 1912; how-
ever, plans must have changed as no additional news items
on flax were found.

No further records of the growing of flax on the High
Plains were found until 1931. The Texas Land and Develop-
ment Company purchased 61,360 acres in Hale, Floyd, and
Swisher Counties in 1912 and developed 153 family farms
with irrigation wells (Brunson, 13). The company grew and
demonstrated the growing of grain, flax, forage crops,
vegetables, and fruit. Earth magazine, an agricultural publi-
cation of the Santa Fe Railroad, stated in 1931 that “The
T. L. & D. is experimenting with flax in Hale County” (21).
The author observed small plantings of flax in Hale County
during the 1930’s, but the crop did not prove profitable.

In 1937 J. M. Saunders, county agricultural agent at
Victoria, wrote the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station4
that according to local people, a 50-acre field of flax was
grown at Victoria in 1900. The crop was cut with a binder,
but as no threshing facilities or market was available, the
crop rotted in the field.

These early attempts to grow seed and fiber flax did not
result in the establishment of the crop in Texas. Perhaps the
lack of a market at a reasonable distance, the problem of
delivering seed long distances, and the problems of growing
and harvesting the crop discouraged growers. Regardless of
the causes, more than 2 centuries elapsed from the time
flax was first reported to be adapted to Texas in 1718 until
it became a commercial crop in the same general area in
1938.

EXPERIMENTAL TRIALS AND DEMONSTRATIONS

The first experimental plantings of flax in Texas were
made by the U. S. Department of Agriculture experiment
station at Amarillo in 1911. As reported earlier, observa-
tion rows were seeded in 1911, and plans were made to
continue testing in 1912. However, no further records on
flax testing are given.

The U. S. Department of Agricu1ture’s Bureau of Plant
Industry, Division of Western Irrigation Agriculture, esta-
blished the San Antonio Experiment Station in 1904. Pre-
liminary tests of flax were made from seeding in 1914 and
1915. More extensive tests were made in 1916, but the crop
was killed by a 200 F temperature. In 1918, five varieties
were seeded in 1/10—acre field plots (Letteer, 34). Variety
and date-of-seeding trials were made most seasons from
1914 until 1934, when the Station was transferred to the
U. S. Soil Conservation Service and used as a grass research
and establishment nursery.

Russian flax, C.I. 3, was obtained from the U. S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture in 1918 by the Texas Agricultural

 

3 Microfilm files ofAmarillo Daily News, Amarillo PUblic
Library, Amarillo, Texas.

Personal correspondence from J. M. Saunders, county
Agricultural agent at Victoria, Texas to P. C. Mangelsdorf,
Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, College Station,
Texas. ‘

5

Experiment Substation N0. 3 at Troup. Eight 16-foot rows
were seeded every 2 weeks from November through March
1. Yields of 7.1 bushels per acre were obtained from the
January 15 seeding and 6.9 bushels per acre from the March
seeding.

After serving as agronomist at the U. S. San Antonio
Field Station from 1928 to 1930, the author transferred to
Texas Substation No. 6 at Denton to serve as plant breeder
for the cooperative cereal research program of the Texas
Agricultural Experiment Station and the U. S. Department
of Agriculture. Seed of five flax varieties, Rio, Morteros,
Bison, Rosquin, and North Dakota No. 114, were taken to
Denton where spring-sown variety and date-of-seeding
trials were conducted from 1931 to 1950 (Atkins, 5).

Much credit for the early testing, promotion, and esta-
blishment of flax as a Texas crop must go to A. J. Kuhn,
of Kuhn Paint and Varnish Company, Houston.6 During
the period 1932 to 1938, Kuhn wrote many letters to the
Texas Agricultural Experiment Station urging the testing
of flax as a fall-sown crop for South Texas. From supplies
of flaxseed shipped in from Argentina for crushing, he
furnished planting seed to W. K. Edwards, Bellville Cotton
Oil Company, Bellville. Several small fields were seeded in
1935. From a January seeding, low temperatures killed the
crop, but from a February seeding, 11 bushels per acre
were harvested.

Texas Substation No. 1 at Beeville began small field
plantings of flax in 1934.7 Larger trials at several locations
were grown in 1935 and 1936. Seed were obtained and
plans for seeding coordinated by P. C. Mangelsdorf, agrono-
mist in charge of corn and small grain research, Texas
Agricultural Experiment Station. R. A. Hall, superintendent
of Texas Substation No. 1, Beeville carried out the field
work in cooperation with personnel at Angelton, Crystal
City, and Beeville. Some cooperative tests on farms were
seeded.

In the fall of 1937, three commercial firms, the Kuhn
Paint and Varnish Company, the Archer-Daniels-Midland
Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the Grady and
Poague Seed Company, Kenedy, Texas, provided funds to
purchase 100 bushels of Bison flaxseed for commercial
plantings and demonstrations. Arrangements were made for
fall seeding of 5-acre fields throughout the Coastal Bend
from Houston to Brownsville. These plantings were so
successful that one carload of flaxseed was shipped to
Fredonia, Kansas, for crushing and oil analysis. A few
small fields were grown under irrigation near Crystal City,
and some fields gave yields of 20 bushels per acre.

In the fall of 1938, the Texas Agricultural Extension
Service arranged grower meetings throughout South Texas,

5 Annual Report 0f Texas Substation No. 4, Troup, Texas.
On file at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas.
( Typewritten).

Numerous letters from A. J. Kuhn, Kuhn Paint and Var-
nish Company, Houston, Texas, addressed to personnel of
the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. On file at Col-
lege Station, Texas.

7 Typed Annual Reports of Texas Substation No. 1, Bee-
ville, Texas. On file at College Station, Texas.

6

and preliminary results of the field trials were reported, to-
gether with instructions on growing the crop (McFadden,
36; Miller, 39; Morgan, 40; Jackson, 31, and others). Seed
of Bison flax were shipped in from North Dakota for fall
plantings, and seed of Punjab were shipped from California.

The acreage seeded for the 1939 crop was estimated to
be 20,000 acres distributed over 27 counties. Growers har-
vested 18,000 acres, which yielded an average of 11.5
bushels per acre. The average price received was $1.65 per
bushel, bringing a total of $341,000 in farm income.

Plans for the 1940 crop indicated that 100,000 acres
would be seeded, but a threat of a reduced tariff rate in the
fall on flax resulted in only 46,000 seeded acres. From this
acreage only 29,900 acres were harvested.

Another hazard of production occurred in 1941. Pasmo
and flax rust, diseases of flax, became epidemic in the pro-
duction areas of South Texas. Damage was such that only
15,000 acres were harvested. However, after this early
discouragement and a limited acreage from 1937 to 1940,
flax became a well-established fall-sown crop in South
Texas and provided significant farm income to growers.
A bound volume of reports of all these experiments and
publications was prepared and is on file in the library at
Texas A&M University (Atkins, 7).

ACREAGES

Acreages, production, yield per acre, price per bushel,
and farm income from flax for the period 1939 to 1975
are given in Table 1. Acreages are shown graphically in
Figure 2 (Courtesy Texas State Department of Agriculture,
50). The greatest acreage occurred in 1949 when an esti-
mated 349,000 acres were harvested. The greatest farm in-
come from flax was in 1948, when 220,000 acres were
grown, and a price of $5.85 per bushel was received. Dis-
tribution of the 1975 crop is given in Figure 3.

From 1951 to 1957, the Texas flax-growing area experi-
enced a severe drouth. Acreages were reduced; yields were
low, and farm income was extremely low. Widespread and
severe injury from cold occurred in the flax area in 1962
and again in 1963, resulting in reduced income from flax.
Since 1963, the acreages have been relatively small as a
result of poor soil moisture conditions at seeding time, low
prices on flaxseed, and seedling disease problems. Over the
1939 to 1975 period, the average acreage of flax was
87,000 acres.

WILD FLAX SPECIES IN TEXAS

While cultivated flax is not native to Texas, several wild
species may be found growing in parts of the state. When
Spanish missionaries came to the San Antonio area, they
reported seeing wild flax. Blake (11) quotes from Espi-
nosa’s diary of his trip to establish the San Antonio Mis-
sions in 1716 as follows, “We entered the Plain of the San
Antonio River. There was a great amount of wild flax and
wild hemp.” Also, Ashford (4) quotes Alacorn in 1719 as
observing flax “. . . 2 feet tall.”

In modern times, several wild flax species may be found

TABLE 1. FLAXSEED: ACREAGE, YIELD, PRODUCTION, AND VALUE IN TEXAS, 1939-1975

Acreage Yield per Season Value
Year harvested Production average price 0f
planted Harvested acre per bushel production
Thousand acres B ushels Thousand Imshels Dollars Thousand dollars

1939 20 18 11.5 207 1.65 342
1940 46 29 6. 0 174 1.58 275
1941 34 15 7.0 105 1.62 170
1942 20 18 11.5 207 2.00 414
1943 38 34 8.0 272 2.61 710
1944 36 34 8. 0 272 2. 75 748
1945 65 63 8.0 504 2. 75 1, 386
1946 84 76 7.3 555 3. 15 1,748
1947 94 91 9. 5 864 5. 70 4, 925
1948 248 240 5. 5 1,320 5. 70 7,524
1949 335 308 6. 5 2, 002 3. 44 6, 887
1950 208 195 6.5 1,268 2.99 3,791
1951 65 22 3. 4 75 4.00 300
1952 132 125 8.5 1,062 3.40 3,611
1953 132 124 7.0 868 3.40 2,951
1954 131 111 5.3 588 2.86 1,682
1955 58 32 3. 0 96 2. 77 266
1956 36 23 5. 5 126 2. 79 352
1957 25 1s 1.0 126 2.61 329
1958 31 28 12. 0 336 2.46 827
1959 49 44 10. 5 462 2. 90 1, 340
1960 122 117 9.5 1,112 2.94 3,269
1961 146 140 11.5 1,610 2.95 4,750
1962 175 25 7. 5 188 2. 97 558
1963 189 127 5.0 635 2.80 1,778
1964 115 107 11.5 1,230 2.60 3,198
1965 98 94 10.0 940 2. 80 2, 632
1966 110 89 8.0 712 2.50 1,780
1967 35 25 6. 0 150 2. 69 404
1968 58 55 13. 5 742 2. 75 2,041
1969 102 100 13.0 1,300 2.65 3,445
1970 107 90 12.5 1,125 2.30 2,588
1971 43 10 7.0 70 2.30 161
1972 22 15 11.0 165 2. 40 396
1973 9 8 10.0 80 3. 83 306
1974 40 34 11.0 374 7.80 2,917
1975 60 40 12.0 480 6.55 3,144

349,000
- 300,000
~ 250,000
~ 200,000
CD
LU
I
if 450,000
» 100,000
» 50,000
w Q Q w N Q o Q w N M
3 3i g 3 3 P“? §3 5 5 5* 5

Figure 2. Flax Acreages in Texas, 1938-75. (Courtesy Texas State Depart-
ment of Agriculture.)

 
  
     
    

FLAXSEED

ACRES PLANTED
1975

7 dot I 500 acres

Figure 3. Distribution of Flax in 1975. (Courtesy Texas State Department of
Agriculture.)

P

in the state. Irwin (30) in his book, “Roadside Flowers of

RTeXas,” lists blue flax, Linum pratense (Norton) Small

[ = L. lesisii , var. pratense Norton] and yellow flax,
Linum rigidum, Pursh., [ = Cathartolinum rigidum (Pursh)
Small] as the most common. The species Linum rupestre,
or tall flax, Linum multicaule Hook., and Linum medium
(Plancl.) Britt. var. texanum (Plancl.) Fern. also may be
found.

BREEDING VARIETIES FOR TEXAS CONDITIONS

Practically all varieties of seed flax now grown in the
United States are of the wilt-resistant, short-fiber type.
Dillman (18) lists six types of seed flax: wilt-resistant,
short-fibered, common or Russian, Argentine, Indian,
Abyssinian, and yellow seeded. Punjab, introduced to Texas
from California and grown under irrigation in the Lower
Valley, is of the Indian type.

Bison, the first variety introduced into Texas, occupied
most of the acreage for several years. Flax rust,Melamps0ra
lini (Pers.) Lev., damaged Bison flax in 1939 and in 1940,
forcing a shift to more rust-resistant varieties. Punjab was
damaged by pasmo, Mycosphaerella linorum (Wr) Garcia-
Reda, in the Rio Grande Valley in 1939.

The variety Norsk was obtained from the North Dakota
Agricultural Experiment Station for trial in 1938 and
proved to be resistant to prevalent flax rust races. Norsk
was purified during the winter season in Texas and sent to

\Aberdeen, Idaho, for a summer increase in 1939. The

2,970 pounds of foundation seed of Norsk were further
increased on 100 acres during the late winter of 1939,
again providing growers with a resistant variety. Norsk was
an important variety from 1943 to 1948.

Rio, another North Dakota variety, preformed well in
tests in the Coastal Bend area in 1938 and was resistant to
prevalent rust races. Rio also was increased by double
cropping and became an important variety from 1939 to
1945. Foundation seed were maintained by the Beeville
Station.

Bolley’s Golden, also called Golden or Viking, was a
North Dakota variety first grown in Texas in 1939. Eleven
carloads of Viking were shipped to Texas for fall seeding
in 1943. The varieties Light Mauve and Maritime were
developed in Texas by E. S. McFadden. They were grown
on a small acreage from 1943 to 1949, but as they were not
grown in the spring flax area, it was difficult to maintain

r adequate supplies of seed. The varieties B5128, DeOro,

Redwing, Crystal, and Victory all occupied significant
acreages from 1945 to 1949 (Dillman, 19). Punjab was
grown in the Rio Grande Valley under irrigation and where
double cropping was practiced (Figure 4A).

Low temperatures in winter or early spring are impor-
tant hazards for flax production in Texas. Varieties differ in
their ability to tolerate low temperatures. Seeking to pro-
vide growers with protection from this hazard, E. S.
McFadden and E. C. Dillman, then in charge of flax res-

\ search for the U. S. Department of Agriculture, began in

1936 a search from world flax varieties for sources of

cold tolerance. From the Baltic Region of Central Europe,
they found in 1940 a number of winter-type, cold-tolerant
flax varieties which were a distinct type from the U. S.
northern spring-type varieties. These produced prostrate-
growing seedling plants and were probably developed under
natural selection in the Baltic area.

Pure-line selection work was initiated on this introduced
mixed population, and selected strains were tested in hardi-
ness nurseries at Beeville to as far north as Denton. The
large root system and basal-branching habit of the winter-
type flax variety is shown by Verne Comstock, U. S.
Department of Agriculture flax section leader in Figure 4B.

A composite of several Turkey winter-type flax strains
was increased for release in 1946. The new type was late
maturing, produced short plants, and the seed were brown
instead of yellow. For these reasons Turkey flax was not
popular, and its acreage continued to be small. In 1951,
seed of a single plant selection from Turkey, Newturk, was
increased, and foundation seed released. The same objec-
tions applied to Turkey applied to Newturk. These and a
period of extreme drouth in the 1950’s combined to retard
the use of the new variety.

Breeding work to combine the cold tolerance of Turkey
winter-type with desirable characteristics of the spring
varieties was started in 1943. The crosses most extensively
explored were Rio x Roman Winter and Roman Winter x
Argentine Pale Blue. The first new Texas variety developed
from this material was Caldwell (14). Further selection
under conditions of low temperatures and diseases resulted
in the varieties Dillman (20) and Mac (38). More recently
from additional crosses came a yellow-seeded, winter-type
variety named TAM F-201 (48). These well-adapted,
winter-type varieties now occupy most of the Texas acre-
age. Figure 4C shows a flax breeding nursery in bloom at
College Station, and Figure 4D shows the survival of winter-
type strains in contrast to the killing of spring-type varieties
in 1962 at Beeville.

Research on variety adaption and the breeding of better
adapted varieties for Texas conditions was conducted from
1938 to 1950 cooperatively by the Texas Agricultural Ex-
periment Station, the U. S. Deaprtment of Agriculture, and
the Texas Flax Association of Kenedy. A. C. Dillman was
the agronomist in charge of flax research at the national
level until his retirement in 1947. J. O. Culbertson was flax
section leader from 1947 to 1957, and V. C. Comstock was
leader from 1957 to 1973. Many new varieties from all
parts of the world were made available for testing in Texas,
and many bulk populations from crosses were grown for
the selection of new strains.

During the period 1939 to 1954, E. S. McFadden made
many crosses between adapted varieties and strains having
specific charactersitics needed for growing in Texas. Crosses
were made with both the grower and industry in mind.
Characteristics of different types were needed more for
growing in the Rio Grande Valley than in the Central Black-
lands. Cold tolerance was needed for the more northern
areas but was less important along the Gulf Coast.

Figures 5A-D show leaders in the research and testing of
flax to establish the crop and adapt it for use in Texas.

‘$4

   

Figure 4A. A field of irrigated Punjab flax in the Lower Figure 4B. Verne C. Comstock, flax section leader, U.S.

Rio Grande Valley, 1949. E.S. McFadden, agronomist in Depaftmeflt 0f Agflfilltufe. llflldl"?! a Plant 0f Caldwell

flax research at left. winter-type flax. (Note branching habit and heavy root f
system.)

Figure 4C. A flax nursery in bloom at College Station, Figure 4D. Differential winterkilling of flax varieties at
Texas, showing many flower colors, variation in height and Beeville, Texas, 1963. (Note high survival of Dillman, Mac,
maturity. and Caldwell compared to spring varieties, DeOro, Red-

wood, and B 5128.)

l0

Figure 5. Leaders in the early testing and establishment of Figure 5B. R. A. Hall, superintendent of Texas Agri-
flax as a commercial crop in Texas: (A) P. C. Mangelsdorf, cultural Experiment Station, Substation A No. 1, Beeville,
\ agronomist in charge of small grains and corn research, Texas, 1924-60.

1924-38, The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station.

Figure 5C. A. C. Dillman, agronomist and plant breeder Figure 5D. Lucas Reyes in a field of Golden flax near
for the Texas Flax Improvement Association, 1947-55. In Kenedy, Texas. A leader in research, extension and pro-
the background is the Kenedy flax nursery. motion of flax throughout the flax growing area, Lucas

h i might well be called “Mr. Flax" of Texas.

l1

RESEARCH ON CULTURAL PRACTICES

The first research 0n flax was largely concerned with
varietal trials to determine the adaptation of the crop.
Seed flax is grown and handled in a manner similar to that
of the small grain cereal crops, using the same planting,
harvesting, and threshing equipment. However, it soon
became evident that management to avoid some of the
hazards of production under Texas conditions was very
important in the culture of fall-seeded flax.

Combination variety—date-of-seeding trials were started
at San Antonio as early as 1916 (Letteer, 34). Similar tests
were conducted by Dillman (19, 20) and McFadden (36,
37). Tests showed that for a winter crop, flax should be
seeded between November and December 15. Later seed-
ings were often injured by low temperatures or had lower
yields. Flax is susceptible to low temperatures both in the
seedling stage and near blooming time.

Variety—date-of-seeding tests of spring-sown flax were
conducted at Denton from 1934 to 1950 (Atkins, 5).
Although not a high yielding crop from spring seeding, flax
can be grown in North Central Texas. It should be seeded
between March 10 and 20, as earlier seedings may be
damaged by late frosts, and later seedings encounter the
heat and drouth of early summer.

During the early flax experiments in Texas, the possibili-
ty of using flax as an alternate crop with rice was investi-
gated. The practice did not prove practical as the heavy,
waxy soils of the Gulf Coast and the high rainfall and
humidity were unfavorable for growing or harvesting the
crop.

Flax responds well to applications of fertilizer if mois-
ture is available, either from normal rainfall or from irriga-
tion. Most of the South Texas flax growing area has only
moderate rainfall (approximately 26 inches), but distribu-
tion is poor. Under these conditions, only light applications
of commercial fertilizer are usually justified (Gipson, 27).
On some of the highly calcareous soils, Anderson (2, 3)
found that zinc was a limiting element or was unavailable
to the flax plant. Supplying zinc by foliar spray or by
light applications to the soil gave good response.

Because of limited and poorly distributed rainfall in
South Texas, wide spacing of drill rows has been tested
in experimental and farm plantings (Figure 6A). Planting
two rows on top of a 36- to 42-inch lister bed, as frequently
practiced with sorghum, permits cultivation to control
weeds and better utilize moisture. While contributing to
more stable production, the practice has presented pro-
blems in harvesting, hence, it has not become popular.
Additional guides to flax culture in Texas are given by
Atkins and others (8).

HAZARDS OF PRODUCTION
Low Temperature Injury

Sudden changes in temperature may occur in Texas as
a result of rapidly moving cold fronts, locally called

12

“northers.” These may occur in the fall, winter, or spring
seasons. When changes of 4O to 60 degrees occur within
a day’s time, many crops may be damaged. Seedling flax
may be damaged by near freezing temperatures and esta-
blished stands by temperatures in the 20’s and lower.

During the second year of commercial production,
1940, the Punjab and Bison varieties were damaged by a
freeze in the area of the Nueces River. An estimated 17,000
acres, of the 40,000 seeded, were killed by this freeze
where temperatures fell to 16o F at Winter Haven and 5° F
at Beeville.

Late seeded Rio flax was damaged in 1941. From 1942
to 1950, there was little injury to flax south of the Edwards
Plateau. At College Station in 1943, spring-type flax varie-
ties were killed by a temperature of 13° F. Approximately
2,000 acres were killed in San Saba and McCulloch Coun-
ties in 1948.

All of South Texas experienced one of the severest
freezes on record in 1949, but the flax crop was covered by
snow or sleet before the storm so little injury occurred. The
low temperature at College Station at this time was a record
-3O F, but flax was covered by 5 inches of snow. A late
freeze on March 23, 1952, damaged flax in Karnes County.

The most extensive damage to flax, as well as to all small
grain crops, occurred in 1962 and 1963.8 Of 175,000 acres
of flax seeded in the fall of 1961, only 25,000 acres were
harvested. The loss in farm income was estimated at
$5,500,000. This freeze came in mid-January after a period
of warm weather in which 700 F to 80o F temperatures
were recorded over much of the state. Tem eratures
dropped in less than 24 hours to the 100 F to 15 F range
over the entire flax-growing area.

Breeding work from 1943 to 1959 had resulted in the
release of foundation Caldwell flax (14) in 1959. An esti-
mated 16,000 acres of Caldwell were seeded in the fall of
1961. Practically all of this acreage survived the freeze,
whereas the majority of Texas acreage was killed or serious-
ly damaged. Foundation seed from the 16,000 acres was
saved for fall seeding, and a portion was sent to North
Dakota to produce a summer crop. The production from
this summer crop was used to seed an estimated 114,000
acres in the fall of 1962.

The January 1963 storm or “norther” was similar to
that of 1962 and caused even more extensive damage to
small grain crops. However, as the result of the switch to
the hardier variety Caldwell, the flax crop was damaged less
than in 1962. An estimated 40 percent of the crop was
killed in 1963, whereas in 1962 more than 90 percent was
lost. Had sufficient Caldwell seed been available for seeding,
the damage would have been reduced even more. The strik-
ing difference in cold tolerance between Caldwell and other
winter-type varieties, and spring-type varieties is shown in
Figures 6B and 6C.

8 Estimated losses in the small grains and flax crops 0f
Texas as a result 0f low temperatures in 1962 and 1963.
By I. M. Atkins et al. Mimeographed. Agronomy Depart-
ment, Texas A&M University.

l

Figure 6A. Growing flax in wide-spaced rows to better Figure 6B. Caldwell flax (right) survived low temper-

utilize moisture under dry conditions. atures and curly-top virus disease at College Station in
1957, whereas spring-type varieties (left) and in the fore-
 ground were destroyed.

Figure 6C. Combine harvesting a field of Caldwell flax Figure 6D. Harvesting a field of flax near Kenedy, Texas,
near Kenedy, Texas, 1963. in 1960. The straw may later be baled for processing into
cigarette paper or fine quality writing paper.

Y“ Kl

13

Disease

Like all cultivated crops grown extensively in concen-
trated acreages, flax may be attacked and seriously darn-
aged by plant diseases. Throughout the extensive flax
growing areas of the Midwest, flax wilt, caused by the soil-
borne organism Fusarium oxysporum f. lini, (Bolley),
Snyder and Hansen, has been a major disease. The devel-
opment of wilt resistant varieties is a classic example of
control of disease with resistant varieties (Bolley, 12 and
Walster, 57). Before this research, flax could be grown
only on new land which was free of the organism. By the
time flax became a commercial crop in Texas, most varie-
ties were resistant to flax wilt. Little damage has resulted
from this disease to the Texas crop since.

Pasmo, caused by Mycosphaerella linorum (Wr.) Garcia-
Rada, occurred in epidemic proportions in the Rio Grande
Valley in, 1939 and 1940, attacking the variety Punjab.
A severe epidemic of pasmo occurred in the flax nursery
at College Station in 1946. Pasmo was reported from the
Corpus Christi area in 1949, and again in 1960. However,
pasmo has not-been a major disease most seasons.

Aster Yellows, a leaf hopper-transmitted, virus-like
disease has been observed in a number of years but only
in small areas. Curly top, also a leaf hopper-transmitted,
virus disease, was important in 1955, 1956, and 1957
(Atkins, 6). It was during these epidemics that the varieties
Dilhnan and Mac, then experimental strains, showed signi-
ficant tolerance to curly top and were selected for increase.

Seedling diseases cause injury to flax plants and reduc-
tion of stands in many seasons (Frederiksen, 26). During
the period 1953 to 1957, seedling diseases caused signifi-
cant reduction in stands, thereby reducing yields. Patholo-
gists reported damage being caused by Fusarium, Pythium,
and Rizoctonm species.

Flax rust, Melampsora lini (Pers.) Lev., was observed in
1938, the first year of commercial production of flax. Flax
rust differs from the cereal rusts in that the spores of the
organism may be carried on the seed (Flor, 25). Flax rust
was probably brought into Texas on planting seedlots.
Flax rust was important again in 1940; hence new varieties
with greater rust resistance were needed.

E. S. McFadden probably initiated the first winter-
summer double cropping procedure to increase seed rapidly
in order to protect a crop from serious disease losses.
Rio, Norsk, and Viking were increased in Texas, sent to
Idaho for planting a summer crop, and their seed returned
for fall planting in Texas. Using these and later resistant
varieties, flax rust was held in control until the l960’s.
Flax rust caused losses in 1966 and less extensive damage in
other years because new races had developed (Reyes,
1968).

COMMERCIAL USES

Seed flax, the type grown in Texas, is valued for its oil
and linseed meal, produced from the crushed seed, and, to
a smaller extent, for the fiber of the straw (Figure 6D)
(Atkins, 9). Flaxseed contains 30 to 40 percent oil. The
seed is crushed in special flaxseed oil mills or in other mills

14

which may be adjusted to crush flax. The crushed seed,
separate from the oil, makes a high protein feed similar to
cotton or soybean oil meal.

Linseed oil is used in the manufacture of paints, varnish-
es, linoleum, oil cloth, washable wall paper, patent leather,
printer’s ink, as a core oil in the foundry industry, and in
other products requiring a drying oil. During recent years,
an important use of the oil has been in concrete as a seal
on concrete roads, sidewalks, or airport landing strips to
reduce the penetration of water into cracks and seams.
Concrete sealed with linseed oil does not break up from
freezing and thawing in cold weather as badly as unsealed
concrete.

The first plantings of flax were initiated at the request
of commercial paint manufacturers and by oil crushing
plants who were looking for additional sources of supply
and processing. As Texas flaxseed became available, several
cotton seed crushing plants made the necessary adjustments
to crush flaxseed. A large storage facility and flaxseed-
crushing plant was built at Kenedy in 1947 by Archer-
Daniels-Midland Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota. The
drouth years of the 1950’s caused this and other processing
plants to close, and none are now operating. Most flaxseed
is now either exported to foreign countries or shipped by
boat from Texas ports to Minneapolis for crushing.

The fiber of seed flax is short,_and the tonnage under
Texas conditions is usually low. It varies greatly from season
to season and from field to field so that efforts to use flax
straw have not been very successful. The fiber is used in
the manufacture of cigarette paper and high grade station-
ery. Paper samples were produced from Texas flax by
Central Fiber Company of Pisgah Forest, North Carolina,
in 1942 and by William Steck & Company, New York, in
1943, but no market developed. The Archer-Daniels-
Midland Company set up a flax processing plant at Kenedy
in 1947, but it operated only one year.

More recently, two additional attempts to use flax straw
in Texas have been made (Reyes, 43). During 1964, the
Peter J. Schweitzer Division of Kimberly Clark Corpora-
tion, Windom, Minnesota, took samples from the South
Texas area for test processing. Also in the same season, the
Alpha Cellulose Corporation of Bloomington, Illinois, and
later of Lumbertson, North Carolina, built a flax fiber
processing plant at Karnes City. The plant operated from
1964 until 1966, when it was destroyed by fire. It was not
rebuilt. The price of flax straw was about $10 per ton,
and while income from flax fiber supplemented the returns
from the seed crop to some extent, it was not a highly
profitable sideline. The flax straw in windrows remaining
after combining the seed crop is shown in Figure 6D.

Environmental conditions in South Texas are not
favorable for storage of grains. The long warm season and
high humidity rapidly reduce germination of stored seed
and encourage insect infestations unless proper protection
is provided. Research on the storage of flaxseed and cereal
grains was initiated in 1950 by the Texas Agricultural
Experiment Station in cooperation with the U.S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture. A number of commercial concerns
also contributed funds or facilities for this research. Results
of these early experiments were reported by Sorenson
and others (46).

F

DIV IDENDS FROM FLAX RESEARCH

The importance of returns from research on a crop are
well illustrated in this record of the establishment of a new
fall-sown crop for Texas. In most other flax growing areas,
seedg flax is grown as a spring-seeded crop (Culbertson
15 .

)Research by State, Federal and private agencies in Texas
from 1916 to 1938 established that flax could be grown as
a profitable winter crop in Texas. Management practices
had to be worked out and limitations of the growing areas
determined. The cost of this research would be difficult to
estimate. The returns in fann income are presented in
Table 1 and range from an estimated $341,000 from
18,000 acres in 1938 to $7,772,000 in 1948. The maxi-
mum acreage, 249,000, was grown in 1949, and the average
acreage for 37 years was 87,000. Average production during
this period was 605,000 bushels valued at $1,946,000. The
severe drouth of the l950’s and severe winterkilling in 1962
and 1963 greatly reduced the averages. Thus, this rather
limited research program provided Texas growers with a
valuable new crop which has brought significant income for
nearly 40 years.

The hazard of winterkilling or freeze injury is a constant
threat to production of flax in Texas. The introduction of
cold-tolerant flax varieties from Central Europe, a part of
this research program, provided the basic plant material
from which new, weH-adapted, cold-tolerant varieties were
developed for Texas conditions. From 1956 to 1972, the
varieties Caldwell, Dillman, Mac, and TAM F-201 were
developed and released to growers. The value of the cold
tolerance of these varieties was demonstrated in the 1962
and 1963 season when a severe freeze killed all other
varieties. During 1962 only a small acreage of Caldwell
seed was available for seeding, and 90 percent of the Texas
crop was destroyed. During 1963, when larger acreages of
Caldwell were grown, the damage in a similar freeze was
only 30 percent. The estimated loss in the 1962 season was
$5,500,000, but in 1963 it was only $1,000,000. Had the
entire acreage been seeded to these new varieties, the darn-
age would have been minor. Basic studies of cold-tolerance
and seedling diseases (Omran, 41), provided further proce-
dures to cope with these problems.

Research on diseases has assisted growers in making
available varieties resistant to prevalent diseases and races
of diseases. Winter-summer double cropping to rapidly
increase seed of new varieties has permitted wide use of
these varieties and protection from disease. The varieties
Rio, Norsk, and Viking were increased and made available
when the susceptible varieties Bison and Punjab were
attacked. The development of Caldwell, Dillman, and Mac
varieties provided not only cold tolerance but resistance to
curly top virus disease.

THE TEXAS FLAX IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION

The Texas Flax Improvement Association was organized
July 7, 1947, at a meeting called by the Kenedy Chamber

 

9 The improvement 0f flax in the United States has been
reviewed by Culbertson (16).

of Commerce. Representative growers, flax processors,
seedsmen of the area, and representatives of the Texas
Agricultural Experiment Station and Texas Agricultural
Extension Service were present. I

Officers for the association elected at this time were
H. H. Schuenemann, president, H. Wienerluck, vice-
president, W. H. Atkinson, treasurer, and Directors G. E.
Grady, (Kenedy), A. T. Reyland (Kenedy), L. S. Wellean
(Crystal City), N. R. McClano (Kenedy), J. A. Weinsche
(Bishop), C. T. Cage (Cuero), and J. F. Lott (Goliad).
Assistance in funding the organization was given by Archer-
Daniels-Midland Company of Kenedy, Texas and Minneapo-
lis, Minnesota.

The Association made plans to employ A. C. Dillman,
former flax section leader of the U. S. Department of
Agriculture. Upon his retirement, Dr. Dillman was em-
ployed to carry on research and promotion work on flax
as a fall-sown crop in Texas. Dr. Dillman moved to Kenedy
September 1, 1947, in time to organize the work for the
1947-48 crop season. Cooperation was established with the
U. S. Weather Bureau, and Kenedy was made an official
weather recording station. Research on varieties, manage-
ment practices, and flaxseed quality was initiated.

The Texas Flax Improvement Association was active
in research and promotion of flax until the death of A. C.
Dillman in 1953 and E. S. McFadden in 1955. Acreages and
interest in flax declined during the extremely dry years of
the l950’s and after the severe winterkilling in 1962 and
1963. The Farmers Cooperative Gin and Elevator, Kenedy,
under the leadership of Floyd Swope, took over some of
the work formerly done by the Flax Association. This
group and several seed companies assisted in providing
seed of adapted varieties and leadership in flax production.
Lucas Reyes, from 1940-1972 at the Texas A&M University
Agricultural Research Station at Beeville and more recently
at the Research and Extension Center at Corpus Christi,
and county agricultural agents of the area have served as
sources of new information on varieties and problems in
flax production.

THE TEXAS FLAX FESTIVAL AT KENEDY

In 1947, the Kenedy Chamber of Commerce organized a
festival to publicize the new fall-sown flax crop of South
Texas. Flax festivals were held from 1947 to 1953, except
for the 1951 and 1952 seasons when conditions of the crop
were not suitable or favorable.

The festival was a gala occasion for the community,
with the crowning of a queen, parades, rodeos, dances,
dinners, carnivals, and other activities. Nearby towns each
elected a duchess to represent them and prepared floats
for the parades. Candidates for the queen were sponsored
by service clubs and others. In 1947, duchesses represented
Beeville, Karnes City, Flashing, Yorktown, Runge, Seguin,
Floresville, Cuero, George West, Goliad, and Pawnee.
The coronation program for 1947 is shown in Figure 7A.

The 1947-1953 Flax Festival Queens, their Princesses,
and the Kings of flax are listed on the following page.

I5

  
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Figure 7. Activities of the Texas Flax Association:

(A)

Program of the 1947 Kenedy Flax Festival, Kenedy, Texas.

Figure 7C. The 1950 Flax Festival Coronation Cere-

mony: Queenj, Flaxena IV, Miss Eva Lois Bain, and her

Cou rt.

16

Figure 7B. The 1950 Flax Festival Queen, Flaxena IV,
Miss Eva Lois Bain of Kenedy, Texas.

Figure 7D. The 1950 Texas Flax Festival Queen and
Princess, Flaxena IV, Miss Eva Lois Bain (left) and Miss
Alene James (right) in a field of flax in bloom at Kenedy,
Texas.

as

Year Title Queen

1947 Flaxena I Yvonne Huber

1948 Flaxena II Bobbie Joe Roberson
1949 Flaxena III Shirley Ruckman
1950 Flaxena IV Eva Lois Bain

No festivals were held in 1951 or 1952.
1953 Flaxena V Rose Marie McAda

Princess King

Mary Joe Luack Benjamin Auoeille, Jr.

Nancy Kauffman C. E. Nichols
Dorthy McAda

Alene James Ed Ruhmann
Cynthia Ann May Sam A. May, Jr.

The prologue of the first flax festival in 1947 states

The coronation symbolizes the crowning of a
queen of a mythical kingdom, a kingdom of
fantasy. The new domain is being created in
this area. The object of the crowning of this
queen is to cement the unity of the district
so as to stress the importance of our new
crop, which is bringing in revenue beyond
our fondest hopes. Kenedy is the hub of this
new domain of flax. We have made an effort
to carry out a theme of flax in this coronation.
This is not a coronation of an individual but
a coronation of our theme “FLAX.”

Many people of Kenedy and other communities were
involved in the festival. The director of the first festival
was Ruth Burney. People in the Kenedy area give credit to
R. A. David as being the “man behind the scenes” in plan-
ning these festivals. He wrote many of the scripts, directed
the coronations, and supervised the parades.

The 1950 flax festival was probably the most elaborate.
Thousands attended the parade and the crowning of the
Queen, Flaxena IV, Miss Eva Lois Bain (Figures 7B and
7C). Governor Allan Shivers attended the festival and led
the parade. The Governor set aside May 1-7 as Texas Flax
Week and issued the following proclamation:

Therefore, I, as Governor of the State of Texas,
hereby designate the week of May 1-7 as Texas
Flax Week and call attention of all Texans to
the new agricultural enterprise, which so great-
ly added to our economy. (Signed) Allan
Shivers, Governor of Texas.

The last flax festival was held in 1953. The 2-day event
included a western parade of beautiful horses and a per-
formance by the Fourth Army Band from San Antonio.
The Grand Parade was held May 2 with floats for the
duchesses of 15 to 20 area towns, local floats, and fifteen
bands. This coronation program was on the National Farm
and Home radio hour from coast to coast, a program
sponsored by the U. S. Department of Agriculture.

The attractiveness of a field of flax in bloom is shown in
Figure 7D, together with the 1950 flax festival queen,
Flaxena IV, Lois Bain, and Princess Alene James.

No further flax festivals were held because of reduced
acreage and importance of the crop during the severe
drouth of the 1950’s, followed by severe winterkilling in
1962 and 1963. However, interest in flax continues, and
the potential for an important source of agricultural income
remains. The reduction in petroleum products and their
increased cost may in time permit the flax crop to compete
in the paint and linseed oil industry and in supplementary
livestock feeds.

17

10.

11.

12.

13.

19.

20.
. Earth. June 1931. 11 pp. Published by the Santa Fe Railroad,

22.

23.
24.

26.

27.

28.
29.

30.

18

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LITERATURE CITED

Adams, Ephriam Douglass.
British Archives concerning Texas in
S. W. Hist. Quar. 15:201-266.
Anderson, Warren B. 1967. Zinc deficiencies in flax induced by
phosphorous fertilization. Proceedings of the 37th annual Flax
Institute of America.

Anderson, Warren B. and Paul B. Matocha. 1965. Preliminary
results of micronutrient nutrition of flax. Proceedings of the
35th annual Flax Institute of America.

. Ashford, Gerald. 1971. Spanish Texas. Jenkins Publishing

Company. The Pemberton Press, Austin, Texas.

. Atkins, I. M. 1948. The possibilities of growing flax in North

Central Texas. Texas Agr. Expt. Sta. Prog. Rpt. 1129.

Atkins, I. M., M. C. Futrell and O. G. Merkle. 1957. Observa-
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1000.

Atkins, I. M. 1958. Bound volume of all flax mimeographed
and published material on flax to this date. Hand bound and
on file in the Texas A&M Library as well as the Agronomy
Department of Texas A&M University.

. Atkins, I. M., Lucas Reyes and O. G. Merkle. 1960. Flax pro-

duction in Texas. Texas Agr. Expt. Sta. Bull. 957.

. Atkins, I. M., and E. C. Gilmore. 1968. Flax, a crop of many

uses. Texas Agr. Expt. Sta. Prog. 14:4-9.

Barker, Eugene C. 1924. A description of Texas in 1828. By
Stephen F. Austin. Taken from the Austin Papers. Southwest-
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Blake, R. _B. 1938. Translation of Espinosa’s Diary, the Ramon
Expedition of 1716 to establish the Spanish Missions in Texas.
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Bolley, H. L. 1901. Flax wilt and flax-sick soil. North Dakota
Agr. Expt. Sta. Bull. 50.

Brunson, B. R. 1967. The Texas Land and Development Com-
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Caldwell flax. 1964. Texas Agr. Expt. Sta. Leaflet L-513.
Culbertson, J. 0., T. E. Stoa, R. S. Dunham, H. H. Flor and
J. J. Christensen. 1952. Seed-flax production in the North
Central States. U. S. Dept. Agr. Farmer’s Bull. 2036.

. Culbertson, J. O. 1954. Seed-flax improvement. Advances in

Agronomy 6: 144-178. Academic Press, New York.

Dilhnan, A. C. 1924. Production of seed flax. U. S. Dept. Agr.
Farmer’s Bull. 1328.

Dillrnan, A. C. 1953. Classification of flax varieties. U. S.
Dept. Agr. Tech. Bull. 1054.

Dillrnan, A. C. 1953. Flax experiments at Kenedy, Texas.
1947-53. Texas Flax Improvement Association. Mirneographed.
Dilhnan Flax. 1965. Texas Agr. Expt. Sta. Leaflet L-646.

Chicago, Ill. 1904-1937.

Farm and Ranch, November 25, 1893. Pubished by the Farm
and Ranch Magazine Company, Dallas, Texas. 1884 to 1974.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

At the risk of omitting someone it seems pertinent to
name some who have made significant contributions to the
establishment of the fall-sown flax crop in Texas. The
following list is somewhat in chronological order.

R. V. Miller, Texas State Department of Agriculture,
Department of Seed Certification, Austin, Texas.
Lucas Reyes, agronomist, Texas Agricultural Experiment
Substation No. 1, Beeville, Texas, 1940-1972; now,

G. T. Ratliffe, superintendent, U. S. San Antonio
Field Station, San Antonio, Texas, 1918-1934.
R. A. Hall, superintendent, Texas Agricultural Experi-
ment Substation No. 1, now Texas A&M University
Agricultural Research Station at Beevile, 1924-1960.

P. C. Mangelsdorf, agronomist in charge of corn and
small grains research, Texas Agricultural Experiment
Station, College Station, Texas, 1926-1938.

E. S. McFadden, agronomist—small grains and flax re-
search, U. S. Department of Agriculture and Texas
Agricultural Experiment Station, College Station,
Texas 1936-1955.

E. C. Dillrnan, agronomist in charge of flax research,
U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.,
1920-1947. Later, 1947-1955, in charge of flax re-
search for the Texas Flax Improvement Association,
Kenedy, Texas.

H. J. Kuhn, owner and manager, Kuhn Paint and Varnish
Company, Houston, Texas.

H. H. Schuenemann, president, Texas Flax Association,
Kenedy, Texas.

E. Mortensen, superintendent, Texas Agricultural Exper-
iment Substation No. 19, Winter Haven, Texas.

R. H. Stansel, superintendent, Texas Agricultural Experi-
ment Substation No. 3, now Texas A&M University
Agricultural Research Station at Angleton.

S. H. Wiley, president, Archer-Daniels-Midland Com-
pany, Fredonia, Kansas, and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

E. C. Miller, Extension agronomist, Texas Agricultural
Extension Service, College Station, Texas.

research scientist, field crops, Texas A&M University
Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Corpus
Christi, Texas.

I. M. Atkins, agronomist, U. S. Department of Agricul-
ture and Texas Agricultural Experiment Substation
No. 6, Denton, Texas, 1930-1954; later, 1954-1969,
agronomist in charge of small grains and flax research,
Department of Agronomy, Texas A&M University,
Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, College Sta-
tion, Texas.

G. W. Rivers, agronomist, Department of Agronomy,
Texas A&M University, Agricultural Experiment
Station, College Station, Texas.

Joe O. Culbertson, flax research leader, U. S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 1947-60.

Verne E. Comstock, flax research leader, U. S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture, Minneapolis, Minnesota 1960-
1968.

Richard A. Frederiksen, pathologist, Department of
Plant Sciences, Texas A&M University, Texas Agricul-
tural Experiment Station, College Station, Texas
1954-1976.

Earl C. Gilmore, agronomist, Department of Soil and
Crop-Sciences, Texas Agricultural Experiment Sta-
tion, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
1965-76; now, Texas A&M University Agricultural
Experiment Research and Extension Center, Vernon,
Texas 1976-1979.

Many Texas Agricultural Extension Service agents of the
South Texas area.

Mention of a trademark or a proprietary product does not constitute a guarantee or a warranty of the
product by The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and does not imply its approval to the ex-
clusion of other products that also may be suitable.

All programs and information of The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station are available
without regard to race, ethnic origin, religion, sex, and age.

The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Neville P. Clarke, Director, College Station, Texas
1.5-8-80