The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1916-11-17
Sole Fiber Producer IN United States
Only Flax Fiber Mill in America Is at Conrad, While Montana Is the
Only State to Produce Flax for Fiber-Th1ee New Plants Are to Be
Built Next Year-IrIsh Linens to Be Made of MontanaGrown Materials.

Within the last two years a new in
dustry has been established in Mon
tana-an industry with almost illim-
liable possibilities as a source of
wealth to the state. This is the grow
ing of flax for fiber together with
the manufacture of the fiber itself
from the harvested stalks. Today
Montana is the only state in the union
i'll which flax is grown for fiber and
it has, at Conrad, in Teton county,
the only flax fiber mil in the United
States. Here the fiber is separated
from the straw by u secret process,
invented by George Pearson, chemist
and resident manager-a bacteriolo-
gical process that completes the ret
ting in 4S hours, or at the most e
hours; whereas from five to eight
weeks are consumed by the dew ret
ting process used in most of the fac
tories abroad and nearly as long is
required by the water retting pro-
cess in vogue in other mills.
Montana Now Third
In Seed Flax Yield.
Within the last two or three years
also Montana has advanced from
fourth to third place in the production
Of flax for seed. In 1900 not a
bushcl of flax either for seed or fl
Der was produced IN Montana. In
1901, 16 acres were planted to seed
flax and in 1902. 12,5OO acres. Last
year Che production a 1,S90,00Q
bushels, while the United States de-
partment of agriculture estimates that
this years production is 2,OS3,O00
bushels. The state with the largest
production on the showing of this
years estimates is North Dakota with
7.752,OO0 bushels, Minnesota coming
second with 2,974,00 bushels. South
Dakota is fourth.
Hitherto flax has been a pioneer
crop, being used as a first crop on the
uptnrned virgin soil. 1t is claimed
that the soil is frequently too rich
for wheat or corn, but, because of its
mea"er root system. flax thrives here
at it's best.
Does Not Tax Soil
AS Much as Wheat. .
A recent report of the department
on agriculture says: d.,
'ElaX does not do as we'll on the
same land until after other crops
have been raised and the land put into
grass again, when it is ready to be
broken up for a few flax seed bed.
The old prevalent idea that the flax
crop is very e%xhausting to soil fer
tility has been shown to be a fallacy,
and it has been proved that it does
not tax the sail fertility as much as
either wheat or OATS
With the recent increase in the
price of flaxseed and new possibili-
ties for the utilization Of flax waste
particularly in the manufacture of
paper-it is probable that seed flax
not only will continue to be a pioneer
crop but also will find favor as a
crop for planting in alienation with
wheat, corr and other cereals.
Many Flax Crops Have More
Than Paid for Land.
1t is claimed that many flax crops
this year have more than paid for the
land. Seed flax NAV be grown to
advantage on either dry or irrigated
land, but irrigation is required TO,
the best fiber flax.
Four years ago, tM mill at Conrad
was built by the Northern Flax Fiber
company of Great Falls. This COM
pany obtained exclusive rights to the
use of the secret retting process in
vented by Mr.. Pearson, which lessened
the cost Of labor, increased the speed
Of manufacture and raised the quality
of the output Of flax fiber, but three
years were required to convince the
buyers of flax fiber and the inter
ested public that it was possible tc
produce in the United States fiber
equal in grade to the ordinary Euro
pean product. Yet tests made in 1913
at English Irvine and linen factories
proved that the fiber grown in Mon
tana and retted at the Conrad plant
when converted into Irvine had a
strength not equaled by the Russian,
Belgian, French, English or Irish
product.
American Consul Testifies
To Toughness Of Fiber.
At one Of these tests Benjamin F.
Chase, American consul at Leeds;
Thomas Couch, president of the Nor
thern Flax Fiber company, and
George Pearson were present. Mr.
Chase drew up a report, which he
submitted to his government at
| WASHINGTON. as follows.