Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1861-04-25

.. Tho flax question is now engaging
considerable public attention. This IS
owing. in a very great measure, to the
present state Of affairs in those States
which furnish the great supplies Of cot
ton. Several articles have lately been
pabli-hei IN the Boston papers in which
tho culture of flax is recommended to
cur farmers as profitable crop. and as
ACTIONS have been made that it can be
90 treated as to render il cheap subs;i-
tute Tor cotton. To render it az for spin
ming on cotton machinery. it is proposed
80 eottenizs its1by cutting il into short
then treating it chemically, so
ss TO split fbers like wool. About ten
Years ago. .Chevalier Claussen discovered
3 mode of eottonizing asx chemically,
and for sbout yesr or two afterward
nnsh Was said and much published in
England about the probability Of this
discovery rendering flax a cheap substi-
tu,s tor cotton 5 All these anticipations
were doomed TO be extinguished, as the
process was found too expensive. and
ths fiax.cotton proved unsuitable for spin
ming. SO as to compete with its rival.
Perhaps no man has devoted more at
teation 10 this subject Ia our country than
Stephen ". Allen, Esqr.. of Massachu-
setts. who appears to be firm believer
thst-asx can be rendered . substitute for
sOo(fon III the manufacture OF cheap fab
s5es. In The month Of February. last
year. he delivered an address before the
Massachusetts Legislative Agricultural So
cisty, IL which he stated that his expert
mcnts had been successful in cottonizing
fax. and that machinery for this purpose
: Was beng Constructed for several mills in
Nav England and the West. lie also
stated that flax fiber thus produced was
capable Of being spun and woven either
on cotton or wollep machinery. and that
it was suitable for mixing with cotton and
wool in small or large proportions. and
that lore beautiful and stronger fabric
Was obtained. Specimens of mixed wool.
en- and eeston goods. containing from
seventy FIVE to forty per cent OF fax fhril-
- were exhibited ON that occasion. and
proEouiiced beautiful. Mr. Allen also de-
clared before the Rhode Island Society
Cor the. Encouragement of Industry, that
aax-cotioa could be produced. in large
uQnsntities /" IN every Norihen State. a I'd
-tBet il viii spin and weave on ordinary
cotton machinery. make better article of
cloth. and cost less than cotton" Such
statements as she foregoing are being re-
vivsds t the present time: they should not
be despised. but they should be received
With great caution If fax-eotton can be
FURNISHED for lower prices than common
cotton, anil If it viii answer a similar pur-
pose equally we'll. il has only to be brought
to the market for sale, when it will be sure
to6nd plenty Of purchasers.
A correspondent writing TO Us from
Springfield, Mass. on flax cotton. takes q
practical view OF the subject. lie says
"As the strength of fabrics composed oil
fax IS due almost entirely 70 the great
length of each fiber, what is the advantage
VI subjecting 1t to very expensive pro-
<ess 90 cuff osizc It byshortening the fiber
thereby reducing its strength? 1t is trus
that fax cotton may be spun on common
/, cotton machinery. but long flax fibre car
be spun on flax machinery for two-third.
the cost of spinning cotton. 1t is therefore
absurd to reduce flax to the cotton state >
He also asserts that flax cotton costs fit,
per cent. more than common cotton, and
that bulk for bulk il IS twenty eight pei
cjnt heavier. These statements are based
upon ex Experimental knowledge and deserve
Attention. ess
III some new discoveries were made
? whereby fine- Aax could be prepared as
ehesply as cotton for spinning. then il
would be preferred for most purposes as
substitute, because linen fabrics are fal
more beautiful than those Of cotton. Flax,
howsysF,zreinires 10 undergo several ope-
ydfions -ehenl ical and mechanicaEt fl
il for spinning. while cotton only requires
ginning, the former therefore cannot stand
IN eonpetitisn VITA cotton. Sc. far as re-
lstes 70 cost. Pho history of cotton af.
fords an instructive lesson on this head
Before thel discovery Of the w hitney. gin
sthe expense Of cleaning common cotton
was SO great that IL was dearer than fms
fax. In those days fax was universally
cultivsted BY European and Americar
farmers. both for domestic closhing and fol
sale. Eyery farm in New Englana bad it.
epssoh 81 fax. ana almost every house its
weaving loom. and throughout the whole
of Christendom. at that period, cotton was
but little used - -
The wand Of the magician inventor has
changed the face of the country and revo-
lptionizslT the manufacturing art The
fields Of waving fax have nearly all disap.
pearsd from our hills and dsles. and the
loom ispos!nore hoard il 'eyry household
weaving It's 'Haxen web FOR family clothing
Cotton has taken the place of fine fax fo
Uostpuppssss simply ;because il is pro
duced at much less cost. But while W,
mako these undeniable statements respect
ing cotton, C1ef az the came time believe
that with more science and skill. flax ma,
be extensively and proftsbly cultivated b,
on tanners. This part of the subject
however. we must leave for another ocea
SON. Scientific Amsrica,,. Z q 3