Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-09-13
Commercial Club Sees Big i
Profit in Cooperative Mill

east of the Missouri river and Minot,
on the Northern Pacific and Great
Northern, and S. per ton at any point
in North Dakota west of the Missouri
river and Minot. Last year the av-
erage price for baled straw east OF
the river was S..
Three buyers are working this ter.
ritory for the Northern Insulating
company, one covering the Great Nor
thern and Northern Pacific east of
the river; another the 500 Line from
Cakes to Drake and Sanish and the
Northern Pacific out of Mandan, Dick
inson, Kildeer and Mott, while the
third makes eastern Montana and
the northwest corner Of North Da-
kota.
This company is in the market for
10000 tons of flax straw, which it be-
lieves will take up every ton available
within a distance OF ten miles Of the
towns in the territory named.
Big Yields Of Straw.
1t is probable that North Dakota
this year will produce 100000 tons Of
straw. In 1914 western counties re.
ported 1852 per cent of the total flax
acreage for the btate. 1t is thought
the western two.thirds Of the state
this year have least 100000 acres
in flax, which should mean as many,
or trifle more, tons Of straw. With
the present scarcity of papcr-making
materials, and with the constantly
growing use Of flax fibre in upholster.
ing tow, insulating products, building
board, counter board and similar man
ufactures, there would seem to be no
necessity for burning a single ton CT
straw this fall.
Suggests Cooperation.
William A. Taylor, chief of TIE bu-
reau of plant industry, in a recent
bulletin of Uncle Sans department
of agriculture, suggests the advisa-
bility of farmers cooperating III the
manufacture of tow.
"As suggestion for corsidera-
tion," says Mr.. Taylor, farmers may
find it advisable to act comparatively.
For example, the farmers within a
radius of five miles might own and
operate tow mill Of sufficient capac-
ity to market the entire quantity of
straw within their area. Under this
system, the farmer would not only
benefit by the sale of his straw. but
would receive also profit from the
manufacture of the tow
Production Of Medium Tow.
The product most used in uphols-
terry and in the commoner process
of manufacture is known as medium
flax tow" which sells normally at SIS,
but is now bringing $25 the town. In
a cooperative test made in a large
tow mill at st. Paul by the United
States department of agriculture, 24.8
tons Of straw grown near Fargo were
manufactured into ID. z tons Of medi-
UNI tow, or 1913 per cent of the orig
inal straw, which yield is believed to
be somewhat higher than that OBJ
| tanned in ordinary practice.
While the problem in simple arith
metic with which this article is head
ed probably would not work out so
satisfactorily in actual practice, it's
adoption would Offer IAN interesting
and very valuable experiment. 1t
would be enlightening to follow the
results Of running unthreshed straw
through the tow mill, contrasting the
yield of seed obtained in this way
with that recovered in the ordinary
threshing process, in which seldom
| less than per cent of the seed is
lost. An operator advices the Com
mercial club that at least one bushel
OF seed to the ton is counted on in
handling threshed straw through a
tow mill, and this after the straw has
been baled and transported from 400
to 800 miles. 1t is estimated that this
! bushel Of seed to the ton comes very
close to paying the entire cost Of the
milling of flax straw. It is probable
that in addition to getting an extra
bushel of seed to the acre by using
the tow mill as, thresher for fax,
the grower would succeed in produc-
ing a much higher grade of fibre from
the straw which has not been sub.
jected to the beating and rending OF
the ordinary threshing machine.
In any event, the Commercial club
urges fax growers to save their straw
and, in late cutting. to exercise Gaze
that the straw may be as long as pos
sible. With straw worth $575 per
ton, it is not policy to leave a third
Of ton to the acre standing in the
form of stubble. The Commercial
club will be glad to place flax grow
ers in touch with purchasers for their
straw, and to furnish any additional
information which may be desired.