The Red Cloud chief., 1888-08-10

AMERICAN LINENS.
A Branch Of Manufacture That Might h
Developed In This Country.
It is q mistake to suppose that there
Is any radical difference between the
fax fibers grown in different countries.
The variations in result depend not on
original quality, but on the treatment
Of the material. The Sbers produced
in this country r equally fne with
those grown in Belgium and Ireland,
and the length is the same in each case.
The ultimate fbers arc only about two
inches long. They are Tapped or shin
gled upon each other in the process OF
growth. forming long. hair-like fla
ments which have often been mistaken
for tho fbers themselves. The coarser
the fax the more firmly are these fla
ments cemented together by glutinous
matter. requiring q greater amount Of
effort in the separation. That is, tho
process of retting may 30 50 conducted
Is TO render the product from different
countries and the yield of different
years precisely equal in quality and
equally we'll adapted to the manufact-
ure of linen. Furthermore. the long
sought 'cottonized fax" is nothing else
than the short dbers separated mechan.
ically from their gummy blending into
6laments. 1t has also been as~certained
that the formation of fiber in the plant
begins about two inches above the root,
% that pulling the stalk out of the
ground cOnfers no advantage that may
not be gained by cutting of the stem
Just above the surface of the soil.
After removing the seed the retting
process is employed for the purpose Of
getting rid of the sap. This involves
fermentation, after which the straw
must be thoroughly washed and dried.
The fiber is now combined only with
''boon." which is removed by breaking
and scutching. The modern efforts to
get rid of the sap by sleeping and boil
ing in solutions OF caustic soda, sulphu-
rio acid or other chemical reagents
have failed. as it is found that these
chemicals. and even the operation of
boiling. destroy the strength and luster
which form what is called in Ireland
1.-THE nature of the fiber" These pro-
cesses take out natural oil. the result
being that the material will not spin.
The process of retting may be correctly
and expeditiOusly performed by keep
ing the sleeping tanks in a warm build
ing. in which a uniform temperature
is maintained by the use of steam.
This Obviates the ~peculiarities due to
if any there be. the steam
making an artificial climate. which can
be obtained equally well here as in
Europe.
1t is true that the Courtrai and other
fax are grown only in GER
tain localities and retted in waters the
peculiar qualities of which arc sup
posed to give them their superior rich
and glossy appearance. But if the air
in this country were simply to produce
ut first an article equal to the poorest
that is imported it would surely pay
we'll. That poorest stud. used chiefly |
Tor the making of twines, sells readily |
1t eight cents per pound in New York. |
which is equal to nearly two cents per
pound for the stalk, as q ton of tho
plant will make not far from five hum
hundred pounds Of good fax aber.
The cleaning or scutching is performed
in the same crude manner IS
lges ago. twenty-five pounds of clean
lax being an ordinary days work.
machine that would clean twenty
lines as much was successfully oper-
lted in New Jersey for several years.
but stopped recently because it was
not found possible to obtain the re-
four tons OF straw per day to
Keep it running. though $25 per ton
vas willingly paid for it. Yet many
of tons Of straw arc oaoh
year burned. though q man with two
,orses and a harvester and binder
;ould easily cut ten m per day close
to the ground for the purposes
# the manufacturer, against half an
ere. which is the stint Of a worker
Who pulls the stock up by hand in Eu-
'ope.
There would seem to be no good rea-
on why the flax industry should not
'e developed in this country as sue
'essfully rs that Of cotton was several
ears ago. Nothing but ignorance
tands in the way of making American
mems equal to all ordinary require
nents and effecting o vast increase in
he value Of the products Of Western
Chicago Tribune.
Physiology Of Pleasure.
The question has often been asked