Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-06
PERTAINING TO THE FARM.
Flax Culture as Substitute for Wheat
Raising.

!
The New York Herald's Washington
correspondent, under date of May 10,
writes: zone of the most important
economic questions of the time is:
| What shall take the place of wheat on
| farms where it can no longer be raised
at a profit? This question is one that
has received earnest consideration at
| the agricultural department. but as yet
no product has been presented that fully
| commends itself to the officials as fur
| nishing the answer, although many
have been suggested. Last week Pro-
fessor Willetts, the assistant secretary of
agriculture, had under consideration a
letter from Ireland, which he thinks
may offer a solution of the problem if
the statements made in it can be sub
stantiated. The writer says: Il have
long had very earnest interest in fax
growing and linen manufacture, and
now address you in behalf of these in
dustries. I have been familiar with flax
growing in America since 1910, and
thoroughly informed of the household
manufacture, and later the efforts to
spin and weave linen by machinery, and
the almost complete failure of
all efforts in this direction, until now
there are only two establishments weav-
ing-one at Webster, Mass, and the
other at Appleton, Wis.-the latter doing
but little, and neither weaving anything
finer than crash. Besides these there
are thread and yarn mills, mostly
branches of British manufactures, and
the Irvine and cordage mills. A part of
the reason why linen is not made in
America is that the raw material is not
as flexible and requires more land more
costly manipulation and much more
labor than cotton. wool or silk. Another
reason is that when in 1861 congress en-
acted tariff laws there was no association
to set forth the linen interest, and the
duty was left too low to correspond
with the high duty on the high duty on
the raw material, while, with a low duty
upon cotton, wooden and silks, capital
turned to the latter as the safest
investment, and flax and linen have
been neglected There can be no raw
flax industry until there is a market for
the fiber. There is nothing in the eli
mate or soil conflicting with the asser-
ton that just as good flax and linen can
be produced in every state in the Amer
lean Union as in any other country.
Germany now spins and weaves the
finest linen, and she has no essentially
different climate from America. If the
inducements of protective duties cannot
be given in favor of linen manufacture,
then bounties must be offered in shape Of
the appropriation Of the present income
from duties to encourage the making Of
linen from American fax fiber. At
least such an experiment must be made
as will test and demonstrate the practl-
cability or impracticability of estsb-
fishing this important industry
upon American soil. Many things
become successful in America
from the facility with which
the people take up and adopt improved
processes and appliances, and this may
be the salvation of the linen industry, of
the importance of which there is no
question. There is every reason why the
American farmers should produce a mil
lion acres Of flax for both the seed and
fiber over and above what there is now
produced, which would give 100000
to 5000, 900 bushels of seed, worth as
many millions Of dollars, and 100000
tons of fax straw worth $50, 1000, 900,
from which 100000 tons Of flax fiber
would be obtained, worth 500, 600.
Once established, American invention
would, as in all other industries, soon
build up an industry to consume this raw
material