The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1898-05-17
Flax Culture in Oregon.

able of doing it justice, but | say with
confidence, that the cultivation of flax,
and its manufacture, should command
the cOnsiderate attention of our business
people. We know that flax can be grown
in our state with more than ordinary
success, and be made a profitable in
yestm4nt Our climate and soil present
advantages and conditions for its culture
that no other country can excel, and we
should avail ourselves of them to make
it leading industry. | do not believe
any other business interest, taken as Il
whole, affords so many opportunities
for the employment of labor at remuner-
ative wages, and especially the labor OF
women. We all agree that the best
form of philanthropy is to aid people to
help themselves.
We have the best country on earth
for people to live in comfortably on a
moderate income, but we must have
some business to engage their energies,
and to reward their endeavOrs. The
past summer it was my privilege to
meet body of women from the eastern
states, the wives of conductOrs-many
of them women of keen observation and
great intelligence. 1t is needless to
say that l fell in with the Boston con-
tingent We spent very pleasant hour
discussing the conditions of the country,
and comparing them with Boston and
it's surroundings. The conclusion ar
rived at was, that the prices of living in
this state from rent to food, are one
third less than Boston's. Our acquaint
ances from that city were enthusiastic.
What a delight to live in a country,
where one can get Strawberries for 5
cents quart for one month. 1.-TWO
weeks is all of our season, and Is cents
the lowest l ever bought berries" ex-
claim the Bostonians. eve will all pull
right up and come out here. What
manufacturing esta Adjustments have you
that women can work in?'
And right here l hesitate--yes what
how many have We? Can anyone
tell? One bicycle house in Hartford
has 5000 hands men, women, boys and
girls; we buy the bicycles-we don't
make them. We are nearer silver and
gold mines by thousands of miles, but
the products of the mines goes east, and
is fashioned into silver ware for our
tables-we buy it back again.
We have beds of kaolin, but all our
crOckery ware comes from east of the
Rockies. We have sand for glass, but
even our jelly tumblers take the same,
long trip. Some of our wool is made up
in Oregon, but not a pound should 60
out of the state, except by the bolt.
Consider, that % years ago the nine
best judges of flax fibre that could be
found in Europe, pronounced Oregon
fax unexcelled, and yet we are still
buying our binding twine, and our seine
twine, from Europe and Patterson, NJ
Many would say: A little twine that is
a trifing matter; but $25O,OOO a year
would barely foot the bill. Multiply
that by %, and see what is the matter
with Oregon. Why have not men in
vestigated to see what is the matter
with our state economics?
1t is certainly time for the women to
take the matter in hand, and when they
do, they mean business. In the matter
of industries of the state, they have just
as much interest and as much at stake
as the men. Sons and daughters are
growing up around them, and by what
means shall they earn their daily bread?
We must have work for the willing
young hands. We must develop our
own resources, and give employment to
our own people. The south has reached
this conclusion, and is now, in the man
ufacture of her own cotton making Won
derful progress and if we look at all the
varied uses of flax fibre, we will find
that it is more important than the cot
ton industry. Five thousand acres in
flax would not even supply years de-
mand for the coarse, loose, .hand-woven
linen, that is now being put on the walls
of houses. An agent is sent into the