National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-09-08
sgatiuual gepnblifan
a NEW AMERICAN INDUSTRY
CULTIVATION OF FLAX AND JUTE IN

CULTIVATION OF FLAX AND JUTE IN
THIS COUNTRY.
new source of agricultural production has
recently been developed in the South, one
which may before long encourage and bring
into active operation a valuable branch Of
manufactures heretofore monopolized by the
Old World, and especially Great Britain. Ths
progress that has been made in the nanufac-
ture of cotton and wooden fabrics has indeed
been great since the war, and it is consid-
cred surprising that no attention has ever been
turned to the manufacture of fbrous products,
such as linen, &c. It has been clearly demon
strated that fax can be cultivated with profit
in this country, Ohio alone producing in 1870
nearly Is, 900, 900 pounds; but most of the fax
raised has been solely for the seed, wherewith
to make linseed oil, while the stalk, which
contains the most valuable portion of the plant,
has been almost all thrown away or burned as
useless rubbish. The production of linseed Oil
has certainly greatly increased since fax was
first introduced into this country for planting,
the value of the product of 1850 being only
81 ,94S, 1884, whereas in 1870 it had increased to
SS,SO1 1852; but the neglect of utilizing the
stalks has been great loss to the country
During 1878 the United States imported 3,O59
tons of raw flax, in addition to flax manufac-
lures and faxseed, making an aggregate value
of SO, S23, 026 In gold. A large proportion of
this might have been saved by the utilization
of the fax stalks of the West, &C., but hereto
fore it has been considered that the cost of
cleansing the fax fbres from the barks, &c,
would be too great to make the work remuRe-
rative. France and England, during the same
year, imported nearly S53, OOO, 900 worth of
lax, and America might have contributed
somewhat towards this supply if proper care
had been taken.
Hemp, jute and ramie would also form staple
products if properly cultivated, as the soil of
America, and especially the Southern States is
peculiarly fitted for it. Over S. 900 900 in gold
is annually sent out Of this country fort the pur-
chase of hemp and its manufactures, while
81, 1896, 4S1 was sent abroad in gold to buy jute
butts, and the manufactures of jute. Alto
gether $50, IA ,959 in gold was sent out of the
country in 1878 to purchase products and man
ufactures which could have been produced at
home; while at the same time America shut it
self out of a market with England and France,
into which countries nearly s95y OOO, 900 OF the
raw material was imported for manufacturing
purposes-the farmers of the West and else
where actually wasting the MATERIAL which
would supply portion of the trade. In 1870
the United States raised q, 1S3, 034 pounds of
fax straw, portion of which was turped into
fax moss for uphOlsterers' use instead of hair;
whereas, under skillful treatment, the whole
amount of money sent abroad in 1875 for raw
flax might have been retained in the country,
and half the additional money saved that was
during the year sent abroad for manufactures.
Only u ,437 tons of hemp were raised during
1870, and it might easily have been sc, 900 tons,
which would not only have given more than
was required for the American market, but
also have left between 20 900 and $4,000 tons
for expectation.
There is no apparent reason why America
should not be able to compete with Russia in
supplying Europe with raw FAX, and with In
dia and China for the supply of jute, hemp
and ramie for manufacturing purposes, be
sides growing a sufficient quantity to supply all
the wants of the American manufacturers
With the introduction Of the machinery before
alluded to, great amount of labor aud time
can be saved in the preparation of the raw ma
terial, and, as a natural consequence, mills
will soon be established for the manufacture
of all those articles of linen which are now i'm
ported so largely. 1t is believed that crash
and coarse linens could be made in this cOun-
try at the present time at a cheaper cost than
the imported goods, and yet leave good profit
for the producer and manufacturer. The
linen works of Scotland were first established
under Government bounty, and in the course
of few years the town of Dundee, with only
100, 700 inhabitants, had sixty-One linen mills,
containing 170, 552 yarn spindles, and 6,7O9
power looms, giving employment to 5000
persons; yet in 1870, the United States, with
over 40, 100000 of inhabitants, had only eleven
linen works, working solely upon imported
fax, while millions Of pounds of material were
being wasted continually. The subject is
about to be brought before the United States
Government.