The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-05-28
riety, which yields 16 or II pounds Of oil
to the bushel of seed as against IL to ~
pounds to the bushel Of northwestern

riety, which yields 16 or II pounds of oil
to the bushel Of seed as against Is to ~
pounds to the bushel of northwestern
seed.
of the United States is conveyed to three
primary markets-Duluth-S Superior, Min
neapolis, Chicago. Duluth Gncluding SUI
perior) also distributes one-half OF the
entire crop to eastern mills, making the
head of the lake the most important prlm-
airy and distributing market for haxseed,
not only in the United States, but In the
world.
The bulk of the seed received at pNlinne-
apolis and Chicago is shipped out in the
form of manufactured products.
Minneapolis an OIL Center.
Not far from 70 per cent of the flax
seed crushed in the United States goes
to the four great linseede oil centers-Buf-
falo, Minneapolis, New York and Chicago.
or the forty -odd oil mills in the country,
six are at Chicago, five at Minneapolis,
three at Buffalo, two each at New York,
st. Louis and Toledo, Ohio. There are
single mills in various Cities ant71Asi
But estimating the productive power Of
mills by the number of presses, Buffalo,
with 157 presses, is the crushing CEN
! ter of the United States; and Chicago,
with 145 presses, is next in Importance.
Yet according to actual output, Chicago
. IS TaLQer imam second, ana Mln06-
apolis, the great oil producing center of
the west, is excelled by Buffalo only.
Moreover, Minneapolis is likely soon to
! surpass Buffalo in the amount Of oil
| manufactured.
AS to individual mills, the largest last
year was at Buffalo. This mill had ninety
presses, a total soon to be increased to
13S The next largest mill, with 4s
i presses, was on Staten sland, New York
ElSoo of A IL.
l is manufactured, by the "old" process
that IS, by crushing the seed in hydraulic
| presses One mill, at South Chicago, uses
the new process" which extracts the
oil from the seed by the volatile solvent
4 naptha.
There is practically no waste in either
process Each bushel Cog pounds) of fax.
seed produces about 1871 pounds (2H
gallons) of linseed oil, and 37A pounds O.
linseed oil cake. The American crop O.
flaxseed last year (29,2s5,oOo bushels) wa!
therefore equivalent to $500, 900 gallon.
OF linseed oil and 1,000,00O,O 900 pounds O
oil cake.
Linseed oil, owing to it's exceptiona
power of absorbing oxygen upon expos
ure to the air, cannot be equalled as {
drying element in paints and varnishes
and three-quarters Of the oil made Il
i America ts'sold to paint manufacturers.
, great part OF the remaining quarter IS util
!, lied in the making Of oilcloth and limo
leum. Some oil Is also used in the man
ufacture of enameled leather, oiled sill
and printers ink
, The linseed oil cake supplies a cattl
), food highly priced by European stoc]
raisers. For obscure reasons the grea
value of this food is not realized by Amer
lean farmers. 1t is a product exceptional
: ly valuable from an economic point q
q view because Of its fattening qualitie
. as a cattle food and its fertilizing proper
i ties as manurial residue. Nevertheless
I fully 80 per cent Of the total availabl
;, supply Of oil cake in the United States
d shipped abroad to be converted into mil
:, and beef upon the farms of northern Eu
# rope.