Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1916-11-24
FLAX PAPER TO
ENRICH FARMERS
BIG INCREASE IN PROFITS
rs. IN PROSPECT THROUGH
UTILIZATION OF WASTE.
Mill in North Dakota Points Way to
Profitable Disposition of 200, 900
Tons Annually in This State Now
Burned as Worthless.

ROA OOhb - bhS
profits of the flax production in Mon
tana is in prospect as the result of
experiments conducted by chemists
of the United States department of
agriculture, very nearly conclud-
ed, which demonstrate the possibility
of utilizing the waste straw of seed
flax in the manufacture of paper and
Gber-board.
Arthur D. Little, formerly of Bos-
ton, now head of the research bureau
OF the Canadian Pacific railroad, has
shown how flax straw taken from the
farmer at So a ton and transformed
into Paper at an expense of 81 will
sellfer 5000 a ton, giving a net profit
of 1856.
A small flax tow mill is in opera
tion in North Dakota, which is
equipped with a pulping boiler, beat
er and other apparatus for the manu-
facture Of paper pulp. "This mill has
produced bleached flax pulp of ar APP
parently satisfactory quality, from
which good grades of writing paper
have been manufactured" says bull
letin No. 800 Of the United States de.
partment of agriculture, giving the
conclusions of Jason l.. Merrill, paper.
plant chemist of the bureau of PLAN
industry.
The bulletin points out that in the
manufacture of certain grades of fl
Der board known as counter board, one
! of the main constituents is flax waste
from the textile Industries of Europe
and that the total quantity so use(
in this country is approximately ZOO
tons per annum In other words tn
American textile manufacturers ar
importing this amount of textile vast
from Europe as well as $4,000
worth of rags per annum, which ar
used largely in the manufacture o
writing papers.
Price of Waste Scars.
The price of this imported fla
waste ranged from $25 to 500 a to
from 1908 to 1912, inclusive, and tn
average price in 1913 was $26.50. TIL
I waste constantly ~deteriorated in qua
e itY until the same grade was 20
= 25 per cent poorer Cor fiber-boar
manufacture than in 190S-9. Soc
a after the outbreak of the EurOpea
: war the available supply of flax was
a was bought up and stored for futul
manufacture, and the Importation W;
n greatly curtailed. The waste. final
n was withdrawn from quotation aft,
it reached a price. of about $65 a to
g It was thought that if Amerie;
:, flax straw could be substituted f
e the imported waste. this would be Il
most propitious time to establish
g market for this waste crop, and o.
is of the leading counter-board factori
= has co-operated with the bureau
It plant industry in its experiments.
e was found that exhaustive tests we
l. necessary before the utilization of t
straw could be pronounced practical
as all the American waste except tn
of a few hundred acres around Co
rad. Montana, was that of flax grow
- for seed, whereas the European was
is the by-product of fiber flax.
III
Stronger Chemical Agents Needed
It has been ascertained that stron
E er chemical agents are necessary
dealing with the American flax was
but it is now believed that all the d
ficulties are on the point of bel
IF overcome.
RS The next step would be the esta
IL lishment Of paper and fiber-board ia
le tories near the sources of supply
lie the flax territory of North Dakot
lg Minnesota and Montana. The impol
ance of this development to Monta
is realized when it is noted that
eff every county in northern Monta
RS east Of the divide and in every cou
lie ty in central and eastern Monta
a flax growing is an important indust1
is There is just one factory in Nc
to tana to utilize this waste, the uph
no stery tow factory at Baker, viii
his probably, however, utilizes less thar
al +onth of tho STRAW This mill is one