The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1878-03-22
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We find III an Eastern exchange som,
figures which show the magnitude d
the flax industry IN the Union, and
some directions as to the mode Of pre-
| pairing the straw, which we here give tc
our feadeis In Oregon and Northern
California the FAX crop viii IN the
future be a most important one, and we
are convinced that in publishing the
following we are laying before thou
sands Of readers facts. regarding it which
to them may beeome profitable source
of income
The United States produces annually
about 100000 bales of cotton. re-
quiring 24,000,00O yarls Of bagging
cloth, about 1900, ,0g0 yards Of which
are manufactured in the United States,
and nearly all from imported stock ;
6,000 tons of jute butts imported from
India are annually consumed in st. Louis
in the manufacture Of bagging, at a cost
of over s360,000, which might be dis
placed BY the use of fax tow, better
fibre than butts, and making 4 hetter
article when manufactured ~inso bag
ging. The displacement Of jute butt
HTith fax and hemp tow could easily be
accomplished by little energy on the
part of farmers an.l citizens where flax
is grown
The manufacture Of bagging tosg Of
good quality, after machinery is erected
and straw delivered at the mill, does not
exceed cost of onezhalf cent per pound.
The machinery of the most approved
kind for the manufacture of tow as the
rate of 1000 to 100 pounds per dav,
including power. tif steam power is
used.) betting, shafting, and all findings
necessary. will cost about 50, 900, with
a capacity Of consuming 200 tons of
straw annually. This kind of nanufae
turing is peculiarly adapted TO localities
where wood and wool may be scarce, or
at least COED price. as the shives taken
from the straw in passing through the
machinery makes abundant fuel for
steam power There are other manu-
factures which could be made very
profitable in flax and hemp. CoIdage
and twines are nearly all manufactured
in the Eastern States, and from import
ed stock We imported in 1874, ending
June 30th. Of Vegetable fibre (exeept
cetton) to tile value of S26, ,208. .62s: /:
64,S42 tons of which was raw material.
costing S6,3l3,022.
Additional machinery, costing about
Sl2J, viii scutch selected and pulled
flax, producing about 800 pounds of
seutched fibre froIa one ton of rettea
raw, now worth ID cents per pound.
The tow from scetcking will pay all
cost for the scutcbine.
The increased imports of raw hemp
of 1874 over 1873 was 1895 tons.
There is manufactured in the United
States of csrdase and twines to the
value of Ss.o79,3s2 lax dressed. So.
00o- nearly all done in the East.
/ The preparing of the straw is not a
difficult matter. Tangled straw. as is
usually produced from, threshins, is
taken to grass field. and spread evenly
/ with forks at the rate of , TO 5 tons te
the acre, and there retted bv dews and
rain until the fiber is loose on the stem
AT this stage it should be carefully
watched, as retting too much impairs
the strength of fiber; also causes a
waste in the process of manufacturing
This, however, viii be easily overcome
after little experience: where it is
pulled, or preserved straight by a reaper
(if long, it can be proftably .retted by
water for dressing. The greatest dread
of the fax grower has been the mode
of threshing or cleaning the seed. Many
other modes have been adopted, the
mest common ore being that Of tramp
| ing ont the seed with herses ON the
ground; but when it is threshed the Job
is mol half doae, having to clean the
seed by hand mill. There has been
considerable dirt collected with the seed
in tramping that is almost impossible to
separate from the seed. Crushers es-
innate from 2! to per cent loss in
crushing foreign substances contained
in the seed