The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-03
ANOTHER VIEW OF
THE FLAX MATTER
COMMISSION MEN DISCUSS THE
JONES UTTERANCE.
They Believe, Despite His Declaration,
That Flax Will Be Paying Crop, Be-
cause Present Holders Of Long Stocks
Can't Afford to Let It Go Off Too
Far.

Chamber of Commerce men are in
terested in the question of what the
northwest farmer will do with his land
still unseeded. The wheat is about all
in. Coarse grain will be sown on nearly
all the land not already planted to
wheat. Opinion is general that the
farmer will do well to stick to old crops
and not experiment too much. There
has been talk to the effect that it will
be inadvisable to SOW fax and discour-
agement has been offered the farmer
ing crop in the opinion of men in the
trade who handle it largely on commits
sion and who say that returns in the
fall should not be other than satisfac-
tory no matter what the crop outturn
may be.
The statement has been made that be-
cause there is a surplus of fax being
carried over, values may be very low in
the fall. Commission men say that this
is folly, and that so far from indicat-
ing very low prices the situation means
just the contrary, if it means anything
at all, for the stock being carried over
is owned by strong interests which can
not afford to let the market go down.
The best opinion at the Chamber of
Commerce is that the farmer who has
planned to put in fax and changes his
mind because there is large stock
will make mistake. The men who han
die it on commission call attention tc
the fact that if a farmer has planned
to sow fax to yield, say 5000 bushels
and is afraid that in October he will not
get fair price, he could sell it now
or part of it, for October delivery, al
$1.27 or $1.2S, price that will give {
f:ood profit, and thus protect himself.
The Jones Idea Discussed.
There has been considerable common
on an interview with H. V. Jones, thu
Minneapolis crop expert, that recent,
appeared in T he Journal. On
member Of the Chamber said today:
4 "The interview surprised me. TIL
Chamber Of Comerce and Minneapoli
must grow, one with the other. TIL
growth of our city depends upon tn
growth Of our industries. 1t does no
seem right to me for anyone to magnif,
the Importance of one industry an,
minimize the Importance of another
:, No industry in Minneapolis has grow
more rapidly than the linseed oil indus
try in the last five years. Few realiz
this. They see the city growing, bu
for the growth of populations are foun
in Just such expansion as that of the OF
industry, which has built new mills an
gone out after new business until toda
: Minneapolis brushes more faxseed tina
any other city in the world.
I AS the miller depends upon wheat 70
his prosperity, so does the oil crushe
depend upon flax. It seems to me high
ly inadvisable to give the farmers &C
| to either wheat or fax, especially if, a
:. is probable in the present case, tn
: premise is wrong. The seriousness 0
J, such advice can scarcely be exagge1
5 ated. Two Or three million bushels Q
3 wheat more or less in. The northwes
means little to the millers, but 1000
S 900 or 100000 bushels of fax mean
, much greater or less activity for the O
industry. Why should not the farme
e be let alone to follow his .;udgmen
. which in the long run is generally abor
e right9'