SOIL AND CLIMATE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FLAX-CULTIVATION ZONE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00039R000100140014-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 17, 2012
• Sequence Number: 14
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/04/17 : CIA-RDP82-00039R000100140014-1
o non?ohernozoT bait of tho ~opE U0, whoo Q4bU' f1tx
O ottr most( 1 lmdF~ t 1r of ntt d to t o ~,t mt or o this o op
v vtua off' t nvturt:l and t on .
hobo non
woU & the zone
he v .otoviY,ocl by nbw i moi tw Yl;l, roc1'E. L4a1 n A 4s tv' M+i k~fd R~ Z :.
1 v . Q w od(Xr- 'C tU fl11rch ?. t tho o
c rvo only to dot 7U;t h th .l o lr o toV'tto ,from tho a l oin Y lack
a, t rcrnl , WtI h in thf 11utr of the' non.hio ok o f u 'x tot nn of
the f3 i :try raonrl - o co r ~ ; f v r t o nett rp34 conrl t ono
oect;t vour we tho a owth nd culivrvton otY tx.
01iTTVI) o"' the Oj
.Kw.rcoo l;n to data from tho F1n r tituto and c n moor or ;otho
( .or ti c rononrch i c~Ututc , t1mx o o a o1o o rot t orthip t otwoan
tho g row of' 'll X, {too ic1d and quiil l:t; , rind o i:1tr is condo}t iUi
Teraforr jt of pat nay i portf nco to do1ino t tho c rricu1tUr'.
ci:1in tI :~Yc 1aonou end tho r v r i i valuo in reg~ rd to ?1t1i.
jo oi. o the ton, c raturC; a tiirin tho rowing a on 10 thken
n t t ricu1tura1$c ctic tndox on tho b ?!i o which the there 1 I?o
r4ou oe ivt~.i1 ~b1e to r1Ct tU'e duz"in the row?n asor' cc n bo p
r x t,e1x ~1eccri1od. 1ein tlaic index, 0. P. lyaninor lmLd of t
fiv therna1nones of tho USSR, oovorig ttU typos of n rtcultiare,
1 en down bar length of gzowtg period and tomporntnre raquiremonte.
bro.~
Y
a -rho wcond zone '4th a temporatux'o total during tho growing eoa on
of 1,.~ ~~00-2,200 de reo centi ado, tern ocaure, ' among other crops,
her f.hx. In Th.ct almost the entire fax crop 1ie8 within those
1im t . But the extreme temperature total. range 1'400-2000
leol,1ne
tieroe - indioatee that within the 1 mtte of this thou. ono
e
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there nro tZemendouo variations in oupp off' neat,
koepin~ with the nature of tho oxiotin diotributio of flax
and tak1nc into aoaow t the import t role of tho heat of ole in the
d?v pient and growth of f1,ax, A, A, Af anao s y v has daiiniatod
in the
torrito 7 of the fiax..~rowin~ r? ions the ?oUowin four tho' , o
' n
~ oe:
cold, northorn - with a total temporature of 1,400 de aee to 1'0O de'.
eoo; od?rato1y ocld i,&0 to 1O de eoaj mooerai w?a 1,800
to 2,000 co~roo?; warm .. 2,000 dogrooa ` and above
Soparation into thou zonoo has m~do it poo?iblo to study other
~' r
olomonta of the heat cycle in tho Demo ~ooraphio aootion s thorn, in-
tonsity dtLring individual, months, duration of tho ~rowin aeo,aon dato
of onsot of tho not i nportant tomperaturo ohangoa, and othoru, Fina11Y,
the thormm1 zonoo aooordin~ to total tomporatw~e are oonvertod into aonoo
diotinuiahod by ~oncral oharaot?rigtios of h?at` o1Q
i
Flax oultivhtjon in the USSR is fundamonta1 q diatributad in a cone
of ao.roalled oxo?ssjv- moicituro, Qut it would bo ora'onoous to
~ ppoao that
throughout the flax.oultivating zone we havos in roalit exao y, Rive moi.,
l
tune,
Tho zone of groateat rainfall, during tho growing season (195-2~0 mil...
lil' Teter) runs from southwest to northeast. The main part of the flax- ow.
ing i concentrated in this zono. Uut many of tho flax-oultivatinS a ogians
are in the zone having lees x'a faU (150-100 m l.hinotors
)
Ono of the oharaoterjetio peouliaritjos of the distribution of rain.
fall in the growing season in the flaacMoultivatin zone is the
~ deoraasad
and vr~17 irrs.ar raini'aU in May. The amount of these ohan
ges in the
flax..growing regions constitutoe for the moat art from 40 to milhi..
meters 0 If' it wore not for the waters of the spring thaw, the mopstux,
~ , e
in the sod, during that period would be aomplstel insuffieiant
y for flax.
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 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/04/17 : CIA-RDP82-00039R000100140014-1
Therefore the oonaorvation of thaw wntera is on@ of to not impor
t nt
gro-teohnio meaa~res,
The preoipit~tion in June io deoiaivo for ?1x, be cauee that month
in the naj oity of the i'lax-growin ~ regiono io
the oruoial period of ite
growth, requiring forgo amount of moioture in tho
aoi1. Th? oommoneet
amount oj preoipitation in Juno is '0m & to 70 m
!j.limoter8,
fooaroh hnd p@rtinont aa1au1atiene show that
the development of
in that period, tho mo8t oruoial ?or tho formation of tho fiber,
(duri,ngiay`uo praoi ithtion is
~ about 110420 minim?tera), requir?e
moioturo in aurfioient gpantiti?c. This would be oorr
ao t if the total
mount of prooipitetion woro ooniplotoli uced by' the flax. In realit
Y
thic does not oocur, Con?equcntly, in studying the qucation of provid-
g 1floi8turo for flax, it is inauffioient to ]ow the amount of rainfall.
It i8 nocoe$ary to take into account the load of moisture and, above nfl,
ovaporation, in order to Imow the amount of moi8tnre raining in the
80i:I, for uea bar the plant, This queotion hae been very fully elaborated
for us by 0, T. Solyaninov. Ho determined the relationchip between the
amount of moisture entering the coil in the form of rainf
aU, and it8 cant
eumption, including the ovaporation factor, and suggested as an index of
moisture equilibrju the hydrotherma], coefficient, computed divide,
the total rain -fXL for month by the corresponding total tomPoraturo
reduced by a factor of 10.
Taking into account the roquiremente of fiber flax for soil rnoieture,
A. Afanasyev divides the territo of the flax..
rY ~rowing regions into four
zones, characterized by the following hydrotherm coefficients: excessively
wet (1.6 and higher), wet (1.3 to 1.6 insuff
), iciently wet (1,1 to 1.3), and
cry (1 to 1,1)
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o Var+iatiAns the xOu1y4 a,e
AOQOr~if to the t ro- oi1 ro ional iinp draw up 'tip` tho VIUAA thQ
brapoan U3I1, lnx.ativatin zonoo otprieQ the following four baoio
too or oil:
1, Port olio aid owampy, 1%~Vil1av6OUa rand candy Town in morninin
lowlanda . In 1940 about 22 poroont oi' all '1 oropo woro sown in t oso
2, Podzolia, argillacoouo, and sandy4on, with topography oharaotori?
zed by ridaoa of hills; compriao mbout U paroent o1 fax land,
3. fltionn of podzolio1 amndy and gravely, and Handy-loam voila
and marshlands a1on hollows and tcrraooa with f1i vio..glacial and oarly
ml1uvia1 cods nonts; approximt t?1y 22 porcerit of tno ,fax is gown on these
lands,
4 Podzo1ic, dusk argillaooous soils o tho high and and low p1ois
on blanket.-doposit rocks approxiinatoly 39 percent o the flax is grow i on
thoQo lands,
Tho Sdoa1 soils for ?1x are thoGe with a pradominanoo o? light
to modium dusty ar~iUaoootas earths ovor 1oeso~1iko clay. Those soils
aro rich in nutritive substancos and aro charactortzed by high noisturo
capacity, which is particularly important for growing t x. Thss? soils
are also highly pormoab1o to wator. The primmry mass of this soil lies
in S molennic Oblast and oxtonds wont into Vitobsk and Mn lov Oblasto and
eaat into Kn1inin Oblast (southern and eastorn rayoha) and partiaUy into
Troslavl ' and Volo~da Oblaots,
The A riau1tural.C1 maj,ic and _ Arict.tura~.-
~ol Zongn of FiberJ.ex Cttivt~.an Re ions
On the basin of an analyois of the geography, oliin~te, and coil types
suitod to f1ax.growing, Afanas'ysv of the Flax Institute horn p'oponod a
division of the antra fiber fl..growing region of the European USSR (an
of 193) into the following novon zonos (Fide 16) : ,.. _Nort hox~ ,
c?:L, excoasivoly moist, with nwaxripmr arg3 ,aooous and sandy.rlos~ry soils
(along the rivor bods).
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 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/04/17 : CIA-RDP82-00039R000100140014-1
Low end wniform temporhturec doing tha owin period, ~doqu~to
oupp:Ly' o' t ioturo (aoe f ioiont o moiet o e~uilibri ~ l ~ 6 or yore) ,
Celt doa1 of eioudino o, fav~orin light diep~reion, end marked inoro ~o
in the tenth of the day, ehara?tertatio oD norther 1atitudeo, during
the oriad ofgI rapid ~Owth Oi the o c!ohto on a aopti n fava able
ol:tm stic oon 1?x for obtaihin hi h-q 1ity i'1nx, i1owovor, the short
~rowin; pcriod (102 thy) in o@rtctin roar ray en an or tha tur ns of
tho fly oeodc nd pazltiottl?rly in proprrin~ the ,ItrcctaJVV du'ir a flax
crop rear,
To ooil mantlo, aonciotin rn inly of light coil typoo cuoh ao
corc1y4o~,rr (clone tho high ?luvi 1 torraceo), ar~i11rcoouo and oondy..
1oc (in the morainio lowlands), Aolc rapidly warming and oacily draincd,
aro tho moat ouitablo for the oultivation of flax ondor to oonditiona of
the northo n titudos but those coils are poor in organic ttor and ro-
quiro i provomont in compopit on oncl o1ir~ination of oxooooive acidity,
Z1Uce soils poor in nutritivo natter, thoy rcquiro tho addition of minoral
forti1inera for a hid}s flax yiolcl.
on the whole the Horthorn zone may be oonaidored, by virtuo of ito
natural. conditiono, the most valuablo for iaroduction of hi hMcjuality fi-
ber
Control.,, _afQ - i I greater part modoratoly warms moist, predominantly
rusty-arilacoouc soils on loeoo-like loam and a oovorin of clay, with
a o , nific tnt noroonthge of ar iUacoouo and oandy4ooti~ soil on iiorain:tc
ioam, A leas part of this zone, by virtue of its natui c~1 conditions,
is the boat combination of climato and soil for c; high c:nd conotant yield
of flay.
Adecjuato thermal reserve (i,3! a to 2,400 degrees oentigr~ade), a
long poriod without freezing temperatttioo (137 days), and an extended
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'Q 4fl p 1j 1 (i5 ~ ~) phi 2Q'41 in tho sow
~ 1~too
'o1' ? ix dur;tn the ~ win end ~tif m k? it
pa ~ibi~ to prapu'~ the
"t~'oat&! during tho boot duo oL' Au at bef
~ are the utwrui aolda , ~~Oder-
ate and ' ni orin temper tvu'ea diving tho owin ari
P oc1, pr?oipitation
(19 mi i.imotora) and pcij
(coiient of m?iatura
1 t ) applied to toe ao.1ic6 lown, bo at for... f1 create favoz-a
bl? oondi'
tiona Lor a ooaa?\i, deve1opmont o the f1o aat
N 1tur,1 aonditiono aro oo parativo 1ooo favour
~'` biQ in the ez,n part of tho Contra con Q, i to1ud5Fn~ V1adinjr and a an 0
~Y blasts;
thot o ob1' ota ro of 1itt1c ralativo itn ox'tanco in
p the i2x ou1tivation,
I. _ rthwoLtQrn no - moderato1 Y cold and
modcra,toly wa1,, oXooaaivoly
moist, with very swampy and modorateiy swampy, with ar il1aoooua and
sandy..
for aoi1p upon morainic laamp~
Tho host oolo oharaotoriocd by a oonaidorablo the. rQOervQ (l, 60a
to X10{ 0 doe;rooo oont ~rrado) and unifori and modora
to tomparattuaa during
the poriod of rowth, is favour~blo for flax c~~.'
tlvatf on, Thv modorat?
tomporaturoa a'o aocontp niod by a lar.,o amount of
~ procipit~tjon (200 md1M
limetorp). The moisture equilibrium for the vo
~otativo period.. is doter..
minod b' the ooofficiont 1,6, 1or the month of June the
ooefficiQnt in
1.5? The rrowth period is of adequate duration (126 da as , The f
~ ~ rostleas
porgy od, bi the moon who then data, is of the sono duration ct that in the
contra1 Bono. The northwor tern Sono, cts Comprrod to off, other zonos e -
copt the southwostorn, is characterized b autumn o
Y of long du.ration C,nd
cofsidor tb1e damprs ess. The time poi iod e1apein batwoe
~ n days trtth temp
pcrattLrao abovo l;oC and daayo with tamporaturern of over 5 degre@o aenti.~
Cade, comprises 54 days , This t3mo into. ig of C rot valtta iri flax
cuJ.tivation,
Thug, the northwestern zone, c1inrtia 1,1 caul be
y, Considorod the
most ?C,votTablo for flax ctivctian, Ttc top col
s 1a s s i'avourab1g,
although the eons propar arc thorough1 ouitab1o f
Y or f1a~c, They consist
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pr Qm; fluff c ~4f ~ 3ff~ v1r . t Ca
aY~~ rQCnLC
:1tQa, s~t~ivt~d 11y oh ~ovni a
a p1in r o drat ire ahrnQtQrjQd
br ww 1noaa, th aeoOrnd by a't 'bad
~ ao .~,w~t~An, whiah fQ~tQj to
~ voo ro~trlet o auoaQaafvwth of tha o p rnt, lIowovor, uub.aaquQht Q~litivn.tion of th~ao ao r ?a
p u b~ the introdtiatlan of
PQ'Qnn1 aaa~a, n~ oontomp1ntod b~ tho o ,
~` ~ viot ~aaa~nd~a~ op ratnt~on
ay~tam of n1otuvo, lnco~~lnatlon with f~vatrabla o1imtja aondltlono
and uoo oL1 m or = 'ort1, ore will o : x
aiwo ~ high i1o1d and atabll~ty
for tho jix orop
a t ~a. torn a .madoz~
aald, damp, with
ar~~aao6u:o i=~nd
sand loop aois upon moral Ala j 1ci Tno, partia11y
+ ~'~~~CQa~1R upon
top roc n, and 1:!, ht aU~dy QJ 1 a~Lnd-lo , t O2 : ,
A uvi ~lac1~ and ano~ent
aUuvt t1 c~oposlts
e a1luto of this yono is fully favouz'ablo Lor
f~.~x cotitlgatlonr
rotaSn t , to 4 aonaidombla do ' o, to its noxtho
rn part, tho f1ax.poa1-
tivo olflc!tic fa1tU2'OO of tho northern zon
or auah as the diaparalan of
aullcht ud tha rti1pl,cl .rata of inarcaasa ='
~n the number of daylight houa,
It d1fTort3 from tho northoi~ zone b Ito ~ ;
by ~Z~hQr, but std, open, tomporuM
turos, and a longer grofth por~,oc (116 days) , Duo to the above, thero is
no delay in the soasotjablc~ r=tpening of tho ?.axsood
d tho proparatlon
of tho treated "trest'I the samo you' tho crop 1s 1rn
sdvoto, HOwoVor,
the northorn part of the zono, in the courso of individual years crith a
largo amatuzt of proa~~pittion trhlah to
nd to langthon tho porlod of growth,
pxioparatlon of tho ntreota" my not be accom li3}led
p :Lii the your the crop
la ht.rvoG t@d, since tho moan temporo,t o foil
Soptamber, which 3s for. this
ioCation from g t0 9,5 de~roo~ cent, h ,
dQ, iC not fQVOurable to the
r?w
qulroc't field curing for the f1as; strew
The free tiess period, aoaording
to cverago date, is 120 daye, But the rotes
. of the cold hero 1a aiont:Ly frequent, and in exircme uses.:...:
the frostj.ess pnrlod in the northorn
part of tho zone 1s one 73 do1y (To ,
), while in the more gouthorn soar
bons it is 102 days (1 o bron ) ,
8q
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iota, the n~tur conditl?n~ ?' ho 1Qrtheict ~en~ not
on,:, uit~ e for ?1x, but the o 1 titwloo nx is the
orop that ou profit meet by thooo Qonditiono c= nee it io orop tkUVt
adapts itcol ' boot to the rather vah 11o the o ~e1o diw n tho cprin
ih this ro~io~,
1 t"t rono - wig, with lie&wy prooipitfttion, hw d, with ~' i1-
laeoouo l1ln~ otncly4o i aoilo of morainio tot , cont in ~ fro quonti-
tiec of canc1y to candy-ton QoUc and ino1ucU. bob po oo1i ad 1i~ht
and mod1w ar illacooua cola of tho wooded otoppoca
The tho i cola and prooipit tion pro oxcaaaivo ??r f1nx i~ this
ono. o temporatu:'oo in May, Juno, and Jti1y aro high, but thariiss to
the hoay prooipf tation, which here is hoavior thctn anywhero else in the
territory o~ the flax-cc 1tive=tiny zone, their no~ativo influonoo on the
flax in minimized. Howovcr, in yoarc of frogu1ar ralnfa~l durfn the
Crowing season (in partiou1ct' in ty act Juno) tho hi ho' omparateo
aan c1dvorso1y offeot flax.
Vitebak Pol tai. !thpk. and 1'So ilev db a
The northorn pmt of this zono offers bettor citic conditions
since 1t hti~s somowlat lower temporatu~Aen and the eamo amount of ooipi~
~ation.
To soli mantle of the aouthweot zone, as a1~oa