The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-09-02

and in South Dakota He was III
company with H. J. Wagon. general
agent for the Chicago and Northwest
crn road Mr.. Robinson is greatly
interested i'll flax raising and III the
linen industry He was born i'll that
part of Ireland where flax is raised
and manufactured into the finest OF
! fabrics. He stated to The Free Press
/ that a like flax could be produced in
! this country and out OF it could come
as high grade OF linen. He looks
upon Mankato rs the ideal center OF
flax raising territory and there is
no reason why Il large linen manu-
featuring plant should not be located
here
Mr.. Robinson made some interesting
observations on flax raising and the
linen industry.
FLAX is the Oldest and best known
of fibers: from flax is manufactured
| the linen of the world. Even before
the children OF Israel were brought
captive into Egypt; Psychologists tell
us that flax growing and linen weaving
were the principal industries of the
people.
The indestructible character of
linen is testified TO by the fact that
mummies were taken from the Cata-
combs of Sahara over 1000 years old
with linen bandages swathing their
bodies so strong that they had to be
cut with scissors Hans Jac Ammon
1879 Professor Greaves and Lord
Sandwich found them as firm as ii
they were just taken from the loom
'Josephus informs us that the vest
ments of the priests of Solomon's Tenn
pie were of fine linen and the curtains
of the tabernacle were of the same
material. And so through all the ages
the linen industry has come to us.
Various improvements and mechani
cal inventions have rclcgated the spin
ming wheel and hand loom to the s.lad
ows of a dim and misty past, ant
yet the methods employed by tht
Egyptians i'll pulling the flax, putin:
it into stagnant pools or sluggish riv
ers in order to rot the woody pith Oh
shive, are i'll vogue today.
Even in Russia, Belgium, Holan,
and Ireland, the early Egyptian mctho,
of deseeding the flax is still practicel
The method OF rctting' on rotting re
quircs weeks of disagreeable work, fill
ing the atmosphere for miles with fou
odors. necessitating Il long drying pro
cess by spreadn" on the fields, whicl
is conditional on the weather.
Queen Elizabeth in 1869 enacted
law prohibiting the sleeping of flax il
any river in Ireland on account of tn
pollution of the water.
After the flax is dried. it is take
TO the scutchcr, who by hand or
, system OF crude bcaters revolving o
f a wheel beats the shivc out of til
D fiber TO prepare it for the spinncrs.
: This is. in short the archaic. la
: borious process. requiring labor. tim
}. and patience, which has deferred til
S American farmer from going into til
d production of flax for fiber. and whic
f has given the monopoly of the fla
n fiber industry of the world to the SCI
h labor of Russia, or the cheaper fan
h lily labor of Europe and Ireland.
e But America does produce flax bet
y ter than most flax grown anywhere
the world. This flax is, however. Gu
e tivated for seed only. In 1908. 20
d 100000 gallons OF linseed oil were mac
e i'll America. out of American grow
: flax seed. and in the same year 1000
600 acres were planted and 100000
tons of flax fiber straw produced.
This straw is too marsh for Gait
- bedding, cannot be rotted for manu-
- as the fiber will not rot easily, cons
quently the last year and every We;
!, this entire crop of flax fiber, capab
y of producing the finest linen, was bur
" ed up in the fields
y. ''rhe United States department
g. agriculture. Farmers Bulletin. Febr
airy 2G, 1907, says: During the seast
Il of 1904, the entire area in flax in t
II United States was approximately
e. 100000 acres. The seed crop in acr
Id new to cultivation has always been
paying one, though the remainder
n. tine crop has been allowed to 90
il waste, or has been burned.
SIS Millions of tons of straw ha
y, been burned each year, much OF viii
Id in quality and length for the produ
ton of fiber far eXccls the avera
n straw from which the Russian pea
~ ant makes the fiber which CHIEFLY su
plies the linen fabrics of the world.
~ "In analysing this government
port. and in discussion with
\. Dewey. the head of the department
n tibers for the United States, and ]
pc Charles Richard Dodge. formerly spec
}" agent in charge of fiber investigated
ah for the department of agriculture, o
III of the recognized authorities OH fill
oe in the world. we find that every fo
"a tons OF this straw 50 destroyed W
produce one ton of flax fiber, VIII
10 when extracted, has an appraised val
on as appraised by Mr.. Robert Andre
~ OF Andrews 4 Co.. linen, flax and t.
20 importers, New York. linen prod,
10 appraisers for the department of CT
:, toms and others, of from 5000
~ $500 per ton.
&c $50 that. in its very lowest val,
ov ton. 100000 tons of flax fiber
ri. stroyed last year means loss
~. the farmers Of America of S4OO. 900 (