The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1862-12-12
Paper aud Paper stock:
To the Editor of the N. y Tribune:

To the Edfor or The ". i. lftoune.
SIR: 1t is alleged that the present paper
famine is mainly due to the lack Of paper
stock" the almost total stoppage OF imFor
tations of rags, and the failure OF bagging
and other materials for making paper for.
merly obtained from the South. The de-
mand now is for paper stock" rags have
lrebled in price. and even rye straw is ad-
vertised for by mills near Philadelphia At
81 cents per pound. or $65 per tun. The
want is immediate and pressing. and we
have no time to look abroad to the numerous
kinds of tropical 6bres from which paper
can be made. nor yet to go into elaborate sx-
periments on materials nearer home. Nor
need we do SO. We have an immense
supply Of good paper stock, than which
nothing could be better at home, and fmns-
diakely ara,lable. l refer now TO the thous-
Ands of tuns OF fax which lie outside the
uil mills in Ohio, Illinois, etc, and which
have literally been thrown away. after the
extraction Of the oil from the seed. Of all
these rejected stalks, fourth part in
weight is first class paper stock. In the
two States of Illinois and Ohio. taking the
census Of $50 as . basis. there are, in
round numbers. $4,000 tuns Of fax this
year raised for seed and oil. and thrown to
! waste. Properly broken and cleaned. this
Aggregate would yield about $4,000 tuns OF
the very best paper stock in the world
equal to two-thirds Of the total amount of
rags hitherto imported annually, and equal
10 value. at the present price Of paper stock
to nearly 81. 100000. The effect Of bring
ing this vast supply into the market is too
obvious to need explanation.
The only difficulty in utilizing this supply
of paIer stock. realizing the relief which Is
wPuld afford, and preventing further ad-
vance 10 books and newspapers, as we'll as
OF the West, is cheap and proper machinery
for clearing the fax fbres from the sAoope
or woody part. 90 tha. it can be packed and
sent to market. ready, or nearly ready. for
the paper maker, without ealing itself up in
freight.
Now such machinery does exiM; simple,
cheap, and portable, and easily managed
which, believe. is destined to work an en-
tire revolution in the production and manu-
facture Of flax. [ allude to the newly iu-
vented Sanford & Mallory Hax-brake and
cleaner which may be seen at No. s White
street. Room No. go. and which at sin
gle operation removes fully four ffths of
the shOove woody substance, amounting
20 from so 10 IS per cent Of the original
weight Of the straw, and leaves the fibre in
condition to be At once baled aud sent to
market
The cost of this machine land wish to
have it understood that have no interest
Of any kind in it beyond what share in
common with every citizsn) is about $365.
It may be worked by any ordinary horse
power; requires no skill beyond what any
boy may acquire in Eve minutes. and may
be set up by any ordinary mechanic in half
. day.
By prompt application of this machine
which viii easily clear . tun Of fsx straw
per day) to the vast piles Of hsx in the
West, it seems TO me, our paper manuNactuf-
ers may be supplied with An abundance Of
paper stock Of the best kind. aod at -oace.
without any change in existing machinery.
and without hnnchiug out ipto novel and
costls experiments on materials which, at
best. can only afford an infsrioe article OF
paper. Yours, E. G. SQUIER
No. i3 East Thirty eighth street.