Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-09-13

After digesting several bales OF
government reports and sundry reams
of correspondence from flax tow man
ufacturers, the Commercial club has
it doped out that any group of five
or more farmers in central or western
North Dakota who can produce
among them 1000 tons of flax straw
and who will invest the equivalent OF
per ton in a cooperative tow mill,
can pay for the mill and pocket a
neat profit of $4,000 on the transac-
ton.
It figures out, this way: Flax straw
is worth 81 the ton, delivered in bales
to the mill, at St. Paul or Winona.
The farmer therefore bales his own
straw and pays himself $1,000 for his
thousand tons of flax, or about $4,000
more than he has ever before real
lied on the sale. Then from his thou
sand tons of straw he produces 593
tons of medium tow" worth In St.
Paul or Winona, Mimi, at least SIS
per ton, or $10,674. From the flax
shives which form the tow 'by-prod'
uct he manufactures 40 tons of flax
bran, which he sells to Twin City
stock food manufacturers at 81 per
ton, or $3.50. In running his thous.
and tons of straw through the flax
machine, he RECEIVERS an additional
bushel of seed to the ton, or, say 1000
bushels OF seed, valued at $4,000. His
thousand tons of straw have by this
time brought him gross receipts OF
$21 ,544, from which he deducts $4,000,
as the original cost of his mill, and
$4,000 to cover labor, manufacturing
and freight expense, leaving the flax
growers fibre-producing corporation a
net profit of $4,000 on the years op-
eratiOns.
Government Advises Experiment.
It sounds beautiful on paper, and,
with the backing of the United States
department Of agriculture, it would
seem there might be found some
group of well-to-do- farmers and fin
anciers willing to make the expert.
ment. OF course, North Dakota IS
strewn with tow mill failures, but
these are due largely to an effort to
operate on scale too large and to
manufacture a product too fine for
the market.
Good Demand For Tow.
There is always a good demand for
common flax tow, and it is demand
which is increasing very rapidly. The
head OF one Of the largest fibre man
ufacturing concerns in Minnesota,
who is considering the location OF a
mill in Bismarck, writes as follows:
Ordinary flax straw is now selling
at about $25 per ton, I. o. b. St. Paul,
but the usual price for it is not over
SIT or SIS. The increase has been
due to the cutting off of the importa!
ton of fibres, such as jute waste, flax
| waste, etc., by the European war.
Flax tow has been temporarily substi-
tuted for these fibres by some OF the
manufacturers in the east, resulting
in an increased cost on tow this year.
Straw Worth 81 at Plant.
"A manufacturer can pay as high
as 81 per ton, delivered to his tow
mill, for good baled straw and still
make fair profit on flax tow, pro
vided there is a good demand for flax
bran. This product is made by grind
ing the flax shives and is used as a
filler in stock foods whenever the sup.
ply Of oat hulls is short. Last year
such a shortage occurred, 50 that flax
bran is worth about $3.50 per ton at
St. Paul, whereas in other years re-
Gently it has not been worth more
than S..
Under ordinary conditions there is
only normal demand for flax tow,
and the existing tow mills have been
we'll able to take care Of the trade
without much profit, but under the
present war conditions flax tow is a
fairly valuable product. The question
Of establishing a flax tow mill at
Bismarck will depend somewhat on
the continuance Of the war and the
resumption of the importation OF
European FIBRE"
Would Buy Local Fibre.
The Union Fibre company Of WI
mona, Mimi, has written the Com
mercial club relative to the POSSIBLE
tiles Of tow mill being established
here, advising that it would be in the
market for the product Of such a
plant.
Straw Worth $5.75.
Flax straw will be worth a trifle
more than last year. In response to
a query the Northern Insulating COM
pany Of St. Paul advises the Com
mercial club that it is paying $5.75
f. o. b. cars at any point on the 500
Line in North Dakota; $3.50 at points
"a r,,oorc of tho ctofo nm tho m otfor ~