The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1916-11-17

fiber turned out by the Conrad mill
or any other mill established by the
company in Montana, thereby max
ing expectation unnecessary. On Feb
ruary 4 OF this year, however, a car
load OF 16 tons of flax fiber was
shipped from the Conrad mill to
Belfast, Ireland. on an order OBJ
tanned through Foster brothers of
England. Robert and William j. Eos
ter Of this English firm are also
stockholders Of the Northern Flax
Fiber company. They come of a
family that has been engaged in the
manufacture Of flax fiber products
for 200 years and they were quick
to appreciate the possibilities of Mon
tana flax production. The firm of
Foster brothers operates two mills in
England.
Three More Fiber Mills
To Be Erected in 1917.
As the production Of the Conrad mill
is now close to its capacity, the com
pany has decided to erect three more
mills this year in the northern part
OF the state-one at Waller, % miles
northwest of Conrad in the some
county; one in the Milk River valley,
probably at Chinook in Blaine coun-
ty, and a third at a point yet to be
determined. In 1915 the Conrad mill
contracted for only 800 acres. This
year the mill contracted for the pro-
duct of 1000 acres. With the plant
operating night and day the mill is
able to handle the product of only g
500 acres. 1t will be busy retting the
produce Of the 1916 crop until Sep
TENDER Of next year.
The next year or Two may also see
the establishment in Montana of a
factory for the manufacture of Irvine
and other finished products of the
flax fiber. Havre has undertaken a
campaign for the erection Of such a
factory in its vicinity.
Lewistown Investigating
Upholstery Tow Prospects.
The factory at Baker, which manu-
features upholstery tow, with stock
factory as a by-product, has interested
other communities in the state. and
the Lewistown Chamber Of Commerce
has begun an investigation Of the up,
holstery tow situation with the pros
pect of giving its backing to the
erection of a two mill in that city.
This years fiber flax production
averaged two and one-half tons to the
acre, for which the Northern Flax
Fiber company paid, under contract,
$15 a ton, besides giving free hail in
surance and furnishing the best seed
at market prices. Experiments made
at the agricultural station at Boze-
man, however, prove the practicability
of a yield of five and one-half tons an
acre. The cause of the present COM
paratively low yield is the imexperi-
ence Of the farmers in the growing of
flax for fiber. In fact, many farmers
produced yields of three and one-half
tons to the acre.
European Production
Greatly Reduced.
Since the outbreak Of the war the
fiber production of all the countries
of Europe has shown a marked fall
ing off and the price has mounted
rapidly. Expectation from Russia,
the worlds leading flax country, has
been greatly reduced.
Since the beginning of the year
high grade line of flax has sold in
Belfast as high as $1,000 a ton. At
its organization the Northern Flax
Fiber company figured on a basis of
5000 a ton for it's flax fiber.
This company has sent to Holland
for a large supply of seed for next
years crop and is considering utiliz-
ing to a higher degree all possible
by-products. ~ veterinarian at Con-
rad is experimenting with 1 mixture
of flax straw and bolls as stock e~od
and it is probable that an calumet will
be built to the factory next year for
1.-THE utilization of this b%y-product.
A Wheat Straw.