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

; two and one.half million dollars. On
hacked flax the duty is 1920 per ton,
| flax not hacked S22.4O, on tow $50,
While manufactured fabrics pay %
per cent ad valorum Since this re-
port the tariff revision has materially
advanced the duty on flax and flax
products.
Naturally there is logical reason
why the flax growers of the United
States produce seed and do not pro-
ducc fiber. and why one small city
in Ireland manufactures one thousand
times more linen fabrics than is manu-
featured on the continents of North
and South America combined
".As far as the United States is
concerned the reason is based on the
cost of the production of the fiber for,
under the present system employed in
Europe. the cheaper labor of that
country makes it impossible for the
American farmer, with much higher
rate of wages to compete.
Many attempts have been made both
in America and abroad to solve this
lperplexng problem of prearing the flax
for the use of the spinner by some
shorter. more economical and less la
borious method than that which has
been in use for over 1000 years, but
without success.
''The quest for the north pole SEEM
ed almost simpler proposition. The
north pole, however. has now been dis
covered, as has process of taking
the waste flax fiber of America, pass
ing it through very inexpensive
treatment, and producing in four hours
instead of four months-from raw
flax straw product in flax fiber which
grades as high in quality and value as
Russian, Belgium, Holland or Irish flax.
"This process and its products has
been passed OH by fiber experts of the
Belgium government, the leading flax
experts in America and will be looked
upon by American manufacturers as
the solution Of the greatest agricul-
tural industrial problem of the age.
''Thc story OF the discovery of the
process is interesting. Thirty years
ago a well known scientist, who is
also an NJ. d., seeing flax being de-
stroycd and commenting OH the waste
l determined TO solve the problem ol
!. separating the hull, or pithy stalk
from the fiber by some chemica
method. Year after year he worked
| Encouragement after discouragemen'
: logged his efforts. Every combination
II 8 81. L., In, hn Mt iC
! was tried. with failure rs the result
but still he presevered.
II 1T was necessary to find some chem
c zeal combination which would act di
rcctly OH the cellulose in the flax
II which is so intimately combined witt
II gums which bind the fiber to tn
e stalk. without weakening the fiber.
"Onc year ago, almost at the EN-
J. of third of century of efforts, Dr
c Roberts saw the successful termina
&c tion of thousands of experiments, to
e gcther with thirty years of dicourage
II ments and failure, and today his pro
\ ces ranks with the inventions of tn
4 cotton gin, the harvesting machine. o
l. the Bessamer process, for the produc
ton of steel.
t. 'The past year has been spent wit
N the most expert mechanical engineers
l. combining the mechanical with til
= chemical scientific processes. A sma
lie machine has been built, which produc
IL uniform result from an absolutel
= heretofore waste product, which Ina
~ an appraised value of 5000 per ton.
"There is now in the hands of til
le mechanical engineers plans for lare
re commercial machine. having capacit
e of ten tons of flax straw per da,
al which will produce two and one-ha
lie tons of finished flax fiber.
H. Professor H. L. Bolley, dean of I'll
North Dakota agricultural colleg
OF commenting on fiber produced fro
u American flax, by the Roberts proce.
Oh says: When our American manufa
ne turers learn to make use of tine brigl
D colored fiber, such as this, they wi
es hardly send for the coarse grade
Russian fiber which is half rotted
Oh its preparation by the peasant
10 Interest which is being shown
Hon. james Wilson, secretary of aga
We culture, is evinced in letter writ,
Gil by him to the president of the Unit
lc- States Linen Flax corporation
&c April Q, 1910. Rest assured that
IS will be glad in accordance with yo
p- suggestion, to do everything in II
power to encourage this industry al
re- to this end have instructed the of
II. GERS of the bureau of plant indust
OF to 90 thoroughly into the matter a
". fully post themselves regarding yo
I'LL work and as soon as funds are ava
us able to organize lines of investigate
NE In correspondence with the COVE
Der nors of various flax producing stat
'ur heads of agricultural colleges, far
III ers' Institutes, senators, congressm
lch and others interested in the deveC
ue' nlent of the flax industry, the genel
VS. expressions of opinion has been til
ow every effort which can be put for
lct through the instrumentality of the
us prominent men will be gladly EXERT
10 to build up and develop the linen
dustry in the west, looking towar
Id the conservation of these millions
de- tons of waste flax straw which
TO utilized means the development of
snIty sttx ~ lfnT a,