The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-03-10
AN EXPERT ON
CLATSOP COUNTY
The Very Best Place to Grow Fine
l'ibred Flax and Seed.
GARNER IN TIE FIELD THE ONE
who Alone. Like the Europeans. can
SuccerNfu!;y Grow This Wealth
giving Plant
pARMRR IN rHE FIELD THE ONE

Muct IN being said nii over lhc stat'
by the prosss. aud much private discus
sion Is going on everywhere concern
ing the growing ana spinning NJ iia'
in oregon. Astorians have taken q
leading interest In this matter boti
through personal efforts made by IL
business men and through is chamber
OF commcr,r
Last fall the chamber 81 commerce
took the matter In hand and got rom,
large European 1ax-thrcad manufac
turcrs interested In Clats0p county and
received an order from them for tor
or fax Az a tessi. but as the fax could
not then be obtained. although thc Of
ficcra Of the chamber corresponded
with different parts Of the state. the
order could not be- flicd !, would
seem now that. through the efforts oi
Mensrs. Foard a Stokes. a thorough
test 0r the feasibility of growing FAX
in clatsop viii be made this season
Experts say that this Is the locality,
of all others. for successful flaS raising
The business men OF the city are very
earnest In the matter and sincerely
hope that the farmers of this county
viii not lose this opportunity of ad-
vancing their own interests and at the
same time building up their home port
and market. Foard 4 StoUes hope 90
receive consignment of seeds direct
from ireland In short time n Il
does not come here In time for this
years planting. II will be here FOR next
season. Fun directions FOR painting,
cultlvatlng and handling the naX were
recenily published In series or arm
Giles In the Astorlan In this connec-
nrctidn the following letter. received by
Mr. NJ. J Kinney from Mr. w. T Gray
OF Salem, lie highly interesting II
viii be remembered that ten years ago
Mr Gray was the proprietor Of the
Salem Llnscrd OF Mills and Is thor
oughly familiar with the raising. hand.
ling and manufacturing of faS His
remarks, therefore, have double inter
est,
We haws been making inquiry for
ilax iibcr Tor your friend but can find
none. II would be- the mereai chance
II any could be obtained All those
who have tried 10 grow and preparc
nbcr for the English market have either
been without sufficient funds TO carry
them through, or have been inexperl-
onced In the handling Of a. had some
samples when visited Paris In 1878.
which We're pronounced by experts to
be fne--ln fact. several were very en-
thuslastlc over them, and stated (which
l also beiievel that the fiber was as
fine as could be produced anywhere.
The best fibcr Is produced along the
coast In Alsea. Tillamook and other
places near the damp. foggy atmos-
phere OF the coast. The best seed Is
produced in the valleys The valley
fiber is also very good. but the coast
fiber, when the seed Is sown thickly.
Is tougher and finer Any land IN
Western oregon, except, perhaps, the
high. ferny hill land. viii produce fax,
but the bottom lands produce the best
nber and seed,
There Is no doubt about the quality
and quantity per acre OF fiaN In ore
gon, both as regards fiber and seeds
Il can be produced cheaper than any
where else; but the difficulty has been
TO get the same care exercised In grow
Ing and preparing the fiber FOR market
that the farmers OF Europe ana better
settled countries give It. II is a sort OF
skilled labor from the time you begin
10 prepare the land until the tow is
ready 10 be delivered to the mill No
one has been found who would put the
labor on II required to make It mer-
product. and, unless this can
be done by the farmer in the field II
Is useless to try to do anything with the
business. -