Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-05-19
BELL-ANS
Absolutely Removes
Indigestion. Onepackage
provesit. 25cat all druggists.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
ON FLAX EXPERIMENT
Gives Figures As To Cost Of
, Production and Value Of
the Various Products

Far different from the report Of an
ordinary committee was that read by
W. NJ. Hamilton relative to the flax
industry at the monthly meeting Of
the Commercial club Wednesday even
ing of this week. For this report was
of more vital interest to the future OF
Salem than any report eve" read, as
it told Of the first years efforts to
establish the flax industry in Oregon,
with Salem as the district in which
flax was first raised.
In order to establish the industry,
the idea was conceived of securing
state aid in the purchase of m icnln-
cry and of using the inmates of the
penitentiary for the pulling Of the fax
and working of the machinery.
With this in view, the governor and
legislators were interested and as a
result, according TO the report, the
legislature made an appropriation for
the establishment of flax plant at
the penitentIary and authorized the
Board of Control to take the necessary
stept"to establish the industry.
Before the Board of Control would
take any action, they required that
contracts be signed by farmers agree
ing to plant and raise sufficient mum
Der of acres of flax to assure enough
raw material to keep the plant busy
and Justify its construction. Tue Com
mercial club seHt men into the coun-
try and secured the signing Of con
tracts necessary, whereupon the Board
installed the plant at the penit2ntia y.
Plant at the Prison
This plant is located in one of The
brick buildings formerly usel as a
stove foundry, 10 feet wide and 240
feet long, and the machinery installed
is as follows:
! flax drier.
12 threshing machines.
flax seed cleaners.
10 breakers.
40 scutehing wheels.
90 sets of hackles.
baling presses.
About 100 men are engaged in 0pPr-
ating the plant and about 20 more are
in the field.
Last year more than 300 acres were
planted in flax, according to the re-
port, and this amount viii be cully
! doubled this yeaE As farmers have
now had one years experience, it is
estimated that the out put will more
than double that Of one. year ago. In
other words, the second year Of the
flax industry win be more than double
that of the first and experimental
year.
Another fact that win produce bet
ter results the second year, is that the
men in the penitentiary had to be
taught the work with the machinery,
while next year, the same men easily
handle almost double the material Of
one year ago.
Values Of Product
According to the report, the prod
uets Of the flax straw and minimum
values of the present stock at the
penitentiary are as follows:
Flax seed at $1.50 a bushel.
Upholstering tow at $50 \ ton.
No. tow at $240 a ton.
No. 2 tow at 5000 a ton.
Hacked flax, worth $500 ton.
These prices have been guaranteed
the state by reliable purchasers with
the further guarantee that should the
market advance, this advanced price
will he paid.
Some of the upholstering tow has
already been sold and shipped; l0,0S0
hounds of seed has been shipped to
CASTOR, Oregon, to be planted; 10000
pounds has been shipped to Eugene