St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-05-26
The Irrepressible Stearns
County Statesman Talks
Upon Binding Irvine,
And Shows How Farmers Can
Effect an Immense Saving
Of Money.
Talk About Union Of Twin
Cities at the Cham Der Of
Commerce.
A Slick Confidence Man Sud-
denly Finds Himself Be-
hind the Bars.

SIT reminds me of old times when the
Indians used to bring their buffalo
meat and sell it to US and then buy it
back again after awhile" quoth Senator
Henry Keller at the Merchants yester-
day.
The jolly senator was in communi-
cative mood and freely submitted to an
interview relative to the results of the
experiments that have just been con-
Quoted by the state at Hastings in pre-
pairing MinneSeta-raised fax for the
binding twine machines that are in OPP
Grafton at the state penitentiary.
"Pll explain what L mean." he con-
tinued. 1.-THE Minnesota farmer raises
the flax; he sends the product off and it
is converted into binding Irvine, and
then he buys it back again. They pay
the freight both ways, the profit of the
various processes under which the flax
has to go aud the freight back again,
besides the profits Of all the
middlemen. l have demonstrated
that this is all unnecessary. After
five years. hard labor / have demon
strated that every farmer can manu-
facture his own binding Irvine, and | am
on my way right now for Columbia,
Tenn, where l am going TO put the
plOjCCb luIO dGta6ll OpCIdLiOhs lldFO
vented machine that will make bind
ing Irvine, 100 pounds tensile strength,
out of raw straw of any sort, hay or
swamp grass. The flax makes the strong
Irvine | speak Of. although any of the
other materials enumerated are of suf-
ficient strength.
'My binder is attached to the Deer
ing reaper, aud it works to perfection.
The machine for making the Irvine is
operated by TWO men and has capacity
OF fifty feet a minute, and the cost can
not exceed quarter of cent a pound
for manufactured Irvine. So, you see,
any farmer can make Irvine enough for
a whole township at round profit. The
barley harvest is on now in Tennessee,
and l am going down there to show
what my binder and my Irvine will do.
There is no waste of seed. The machine
cuts off all the seed as it makes the
Irvine.
''Now, want to tell you something
about flax culture" resumed the senator
after moments reflection. The state
prison board deserves great credit for
saving thirty-one tons of straw that
would otherwise have been thrown
away at Hastings. We have spent con-
siderable time experimenting with this
straw, fand we have succeeded admira-
Wy uClC 10 a NdobC VI uiGy pOI
cent because of the method employed
in retting the straw. But it makes ex-
cellent binding Irvine. There are sew
eral machlues in operation in the prison,
and l have one there also. l have left
it so that the prison board may inspect
its workings at the meeting that will
be held there early i'll June.
The farmers, in order to secure the
best results, must keep their straw
straight. The common practice has
been i'll this state to raise flax for the
seed only, and they have moved it down
and retted it. if retted at all, in tan
gled mess. There is big waste. 1t
should be tied up in bundles. If it is
not to be pulled up by the roots, the
ground should be thoroughly rolled and
made smooth at the time of sowing.
and then in harvesting binder. if set
as low as possible, will save the entire
length of the straw. This will make
live fiber fit for the manufacture Of linen
goods. Such straw, when properly ret
ted in soft water, is worth from 5000 to
$500 ton. Two tons can be grown on
an acre of ground. and the seed, in adj
dition, will be worth fully SIS an acre.
The rough straw is worth S25 ton.
One and three-fourths bushels of seed
should be Sown on each acre
to raise good fiber. The ordinary rule,
where seed is the only object, is to SOW
half a bnshel to three pecks. My ma
chine for breaking this sort of material
saves everything. With one operation
it pours the seed into a sack, blows the
shives away and turns out the fiber.
One machine will break ton in day,
and two men operate it. You can fig
ure it out yourself. Flax is surely the
most profitable crop the farmer can
raise if he cares for it properly"
Mr.. Keller, accompanied by his part
ner, George II. Ellis, left for Tennessee
last evening