The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-05-01

! 600, 900 tons Of coal. Experiments
with the gas producing qualities of this
coal show it superior to the bituminous
coal of the east. Then too, briquettes
of this coal. is the latest product of
science and gives ton for ton, as much
heat as the hard coal.
1t is a rare thing that a western
North Dakota farmer has to buy fuel.
The average land holder in Stark
ty can go out to his wv mine, dig for
a few feet, or uncover some a by
the side of his pasture land, and Sc
cure all the coal he needs, and further,
you will see how that this coal is pre-
ferred by the users, because of the pc
culiar properties it has of holding fire
for days.
Large bodies of the finest clay lie
side by side with this coal Indeed in
the same bank can be found clay for
brick, tiles, structural work and the
finest of chinaware, and the coal for
manufacturing. What should hinder
this locality from becoming the center
Of a splendid industry?
The Flax Center.
Eastern North Dakota. along the Fed
River valley, the once big end of the
state, will never lose its prestige for
black gumbo soil, but it has lost its
place for many years as a flax growing
ulStI4Cl, anu dllS IA " ~
crop must be depended on from the
western counties Of the state.
Stark county is the center of all the
counties for his productive and high
priced crop.
More h this. the United States
government has Of late shown its in
terest in this county, and the practical
illustration of this came recently, when
a specialist was sent to Dickinson to
mo nc@ n n a 1nnI nf flaw fro Nv JHTljnh
was shipped to the east for expert
mental purposes, in view Of making pa
| per out of the hundreds Of thousands
of tons of this material just now going
to waste.
Prof. Charles Brand has selected
Stark county for a suggested center for
an industry, leading to the manufac-
ture of paper, and other flax products.
MIR. Brand has in mind the best interests
of the manufacturer, and by selecting
this county has given to the world his
verdict Of the great flax growing CEN
ter of the United States.
In getting the ten tons Of flax straw
from a Stark county field it will be the
desire of the government agent to come
as nearly as possible to finding the
! normal price for which this raw prod
uct can be laid down at a central mar
ket. 1t is believed that within a few
years fax straw will be very generally
| used in the manufacture Of paper. es-
peciaIly in the finer grades Of this
product.
Wood pulp is becoming scarce and
consequently the price has advanced
materially in the past few years and it
is reasonable to believe that flax straw
will soon become a valuable substitute.
If flax straw can be chemically
treated so as to make it yield So per
cent of pulp suitable for high grade
paper, it will become at C a staple
| product for manufacture. 1t is also
found that flax straw makes an. eXcep-
tionally strong bag, suitable for ce-
ment sacks, and it is known that ce-
ment manufacturers are very anxious
to do away with the present costly
cloth sacks in use.
In the western part Of North Dakota,
the soil and climatic conditions are
specially adapted to it's culture. 1t has
a distinct advantage in being a crop
that can be sown late in June with
reasonable assurance Of maturing.
The flax seed is always valuable.
Hence the test at Cumberland Mills,
where Professor Brand carries on all
of this kind Of work, will be awaited
with a great deal of interest.
The enormous yields of fax for 1912,
| has also had a most e~xhilarating eff
feet upon the price of land, for 1t
| stands to reason that land that is SO
productive of this fertile crop, Is also
| among the very best lands for the av-
erage farmer, and if in addition to the
returns from the flax itself, there shall
come also an important return in the
| selling of the straw, then there, will be
at least 81 per ton, added to the $3.50
price of flax.
Fruit and Vegetable Growing.
Much may be said of the possibili-
ties of small fruit growing in western
North Dakota. The soil is somewhat
| more light than in many sections of the