The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-12-06

"TRE MOST USEFUL PLANT"
BY EDWIN BATTLEY,

dred yield us a supply Of fruits and ber'
ries, four hundred and fifty vegetables
and salads, thirty-one sugar, and thirty
two arrowroot. If the tea and coffee
plants should fail, one hundred and twen-
ty-nine other plants will provide a sub
stitute. The arts and manufactures are
largely indebted to many strange look
ing plant. India rubber is found in nine
ty-six; gutta percha in seventy. gu MS
resins and balsams, in three hundred and
eighty. nine ten Weld wax grease and
essential oils can be extracted from three
hundred and thirty eighty.eight plants
contain potash and soda, and forty-seven
soap. The dyers can choose from six
hundred and fifty, the makers of perfum-
cry from two hundred and sixty-six ;
while paper makers, builders, and roof
ers can command the services of hun
dreds of plants grown in all parts of the
world. Scattered here and there, in vari-
Gus places, trees and plants are found
suitable to the wants of the inhabitants.
The South Sea Islander rests under the
shade oil the "bread fruit tree" caring
but little for the future the natives in
some parts of Asia and Africa depend al
most entirely upon the palm for food and
clothing; the Chinese thinks himself for
tunate ir having the bamboo which sup
plies him with certain kind of food as
we'll as material for his chairs, tables and
bridges.
Some plants are only found in certain
portions of the globe where the climate
is favorable to their production. Those
most essential to our comfort we find in
every quarter of the globe, where they
seem to flourish land bring forth abund-
antly." OF this latter kind is the fax
plant, which is met with, not in one soli-
aary spot, but in Russia, India, Egypt,
New Zealand as well as in the more tenn
perate climate of Europe. When we
think of the comparative ease with which
1T may be cultivated, its value to the far
mer and manufacturer, We are quite pre-
pared TO endorse all that was said by a
writer years ago, when he affirmed it to
be, for plant which did not produce
food, "the most useful plant in the world"
The truth of this assertion we shall en-
deayor to prove by drawing attention to
some facts connected with the early his
tory of this wonderful old plant, the
value of its fiber, and the value of its
seed.
1t is about two or three feet high, has
a slender straight stem,' branching only at
the top, with small leaves and bright
blue flowers, it blossoms in June and
July. From the fibres of its inner bark
when separated from the woody portion
of the stem we have fax or lint, of which
linen thread and cloth are made, and from
its seed when crushed we obtain that i'm
pOrtant article, linseed oil. That the fax
plant is very old one we have abundant
evidence in the Bible, and that linen was
made in those early days is equally evil
dent, for weaving is mentioned in the
time of Abram who said to the king Of
q SOdom, 81 will not take from thread to
a shoe latChet," &C.; Rebecca covered her
self with veil when she saw Isaac !;
Pharaoh, King ofEgypt, "arrayed Joseph
in vesJures of fine linen" and Job says:
"My days are faster than weaver's shut
tle." These illustrations prove that
weaving with warp and woof was Of
great antiquity aud not ofmodern inven-
tion.
In the time of Moses the land of Egypt
grew not only corn in abundance, but
fax as well and the fax was used for the
manufacture of linen. An examination
of the cloth in which the mummes of
Egypt were enVeloped, was made some
years age, and, proved by the microscope
to be not only linen, but some of it linen
of the very finest kind Rahab in Jericho
covered the spies over with fax, which
she had laid on the roof of her house to
dry. Five hundred years after the death
of Moses, Solomon imported linen yarn
from Egypt The prophet Ezekiel in
speaking of the riches of the merchants
of Tyre says, Fine linen with broidered
work from Egypt, was that which thou
spreadeth forth to be thy sail" In the
prophets time sails made of mating were
common, hence sails made of linen must
have been rare and costly. Moses was
told to make curtains for the Tabernacle
of "fne twined linen, and blue, and pur-
pile, and scarlet y and the vail of the Tenn
pie at Jerusalem was made by Solomon
of "blue, and purple, and crimson, and
fine linen" Alexander the Great is said
to have had sails or linen flags that were
dyed with colors" The priests who min.
istered in the Temple wore linen gar
ments, probably because they were cooler
than cotton or silk. Egyptian priests al.
ways wore linen. Wool was so much dis.
liked that the very lowest of the people
never used it, or allowed it to be employ
ed even in their burials. This hatred of
the wool extended to the hOcks and to
the shepherds who attended them so
We read that "every shepherd is an abo
mination to the Egyptians" How they
managed to dye the linen in such beauti-
full colors with drugs which we are told
had no COlors, we know not, but it is GER
tain thatthe color was permanent. These
old Egyptians who lived some three
thousand years ago, had a knowledge Of
chemistry which we who live in modern
times do not possess.
Cominq down to these times and our
country it appears that Massachusetts
introduced the linen manufacture into
Ghe United States. In 1910 the As.
sembly took the matter in hand and de-
creed that:
"The Court taking into serious conside-
ration the absolute Necessity for the
Raising of the Manufacture of Linen
cloths, doth declare that it is the Intent
of the Court that there shall be an order
settled about it, and therefore doth re-
quire the Magistrates and Deputies of the
several Towns to acquaint the townsmen
Herewith, and to make Enquiry what
seed is in every Town, what men and
women are skillful in the breaking, spin
ming and weaving, what means for the
providing of Wheels; and to consider
with those skilful in that manufacture,
and what course may be taken for teach-
ing the boys and girls in all Towns the
spinning Of the yarn, and to return to the
next Court their several and joint advice
about this Thing. Thelik consideration
TO be had for the spinning and weaving
of Cotton Wool"
In 1862 the laws of Virginia required