New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-02
FLAX AND LINSEED OIL.
nov The SEED IS TREATED AND WHAT
THE OIL is USED FORA SHORT
AGE POSSIBLE


uonai Linseed Oil Company and the occurrence
At the same time of greatly increased Euro
pean demand for American laxseed are two
iacts which have served to attract more interest
than usual TO this agricultural product OF the
Western States How much fax is raised in the
United States, what proportion of it is used for
making linseed oil and what the chief uses
OF this oil are questions which have been fire.
Quently asked in the last two three weeks
Taking up the last query first il is in the mix
Ing Of paints that linseed oil finds its greatest
commercial value. II is the oil most used in
house and carriage painting. and in all kinds of
color work except that Of an especially delicate
nature artists pigments for instance, being
mixed with poppy Oil. In the making of oil
cloth, oil silk, patent leather. printers ink and
many other articles that require oil In their COM
position the linseed product has been found the
most satisfactory, it may be that the
market for it is wide one.
OF the seventeen million bushels which repre-
sent the present annual product of 6axseed in
the United States practically the whole is made
into oil. 1t has been found entirely improbable
to raise flax for the making of linen In this
country, and the quantity of the seed sold for
druggists purposes is Sc small in proportion to
u
account. Most of the iaxseed is raised in the
Middle West-in the States of Minnesota, Iowa,
South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri
and the great market for both the seed and the
Oil is Chicago The oil mills are situated in
various paris Of the country. most of them, how
ever being in the nefghborhood fthe principal
fax districts. Not only do they consume about
ali the seed raisedi, here. but they also crush
IT
imported naxseed known as Calcutta seed.
The crushing of linseed flaxseed is done by
means of great hydraulic pressure which re-
moves most Of the OIL When this process is ac-
complished without the application of heat the
oil is lighter in color and is called cold
pressed" In this form it is preferred for some
purposes. but the greater amount of il is made
by heating the ground seed paste by steam to a
little above 2l2 degrees Fahrenheit and press
ing il while hot. The oil is thus much more
quickly and thoroughly removed.
The pressing is usually done in this way:
The hot paste is put into strong bags Of equal
size, which are placed in iron cases and laid up
under the presses, where they subjected 10 a
gradually increasing weight, varying from about
three hundred 70 eight hundred tons The cakes
from the cold pressed oil are reground and
heated and pressed with the rest. Generally
speaking faxseeG yields from 20 20 % per cent
Of oil There is little waste in the making OF
the oil. for after this has been entirely removed
tie linseed cake left is excellent as food for
cattle.
A linseed oil manufacturer. in speaking few
days ago of the rising European demand for
seed from this country. said:
1T is just within the last few weeks that this
has become noticeable. We suppose il must be
on account Of a short crop there. but haven I
any definite information about that. European
buyers have already taken about million and
a half bushels Of our 1895 crop and as the sur
plus above what our mills is only three mill
ion or four million bushels every year you see it
viii be very easy to create "a shortage here at
that rate. Already the foreign demand has be-
gun TO raise prices for Gaxseed is now worth %
OF sc cents a bushel-several cents more than
tic usua! price
"A curious contrast between the foreign and
American valuation Of faxseed is tina. in Euro
pean countries the cake left after the oil is
pressed out is regarded as the chief product. the
lnseeG oil being only q secondary consideration
Now. here, while we appreciate the fodder value
of the cake that is only a by-product compared
with the OIL