The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-20
Canadians Increase Acreage From | 400
to $4,000 and Believe They Can
Make Themselves Independ-
ent of Foreign Flax E

Tho Japanese are making energetic
efforts to turn the Island Kingdom
into a producer of fax and a manu-
facturer of fine linens. and with their
long established familiarity with 3
textile industry It is not surprising
learn that they are preparing to en-
bark extensively in the weaving OF
linen It is said that our own
factories undoubtedly will turn their
attention to the wide production or
linen once it is made evident that they
can obtain from domestic sources an
abundance Of the raw fibre. Hereto
FORE as has been pointed out, the
great bulk of fax fibre used in Amer
lea has come. from abroad.
1t is said that here in the United
States it would be possible to use do
nestle looms in linen mills, but no
appreciable amount of disappearing
or fiax-spinning machinery Is as yet /
made in this country. Even so, this,
state of affairs should offer no dis I,
Couragement. because our record ina
the building Of textile machinery andlc
machine tools Of all sorts has demon
strated that we have the native skillot
to meet the requirements. Indeed part,e
of our task OF reconstruction should
be directed along these lines, becausea
the United States is the worlds larg- Il
est user OF linen goods ati
-.. IN
We Lead in Lin'eed OIL. isl
The average American may not
know it, but we have long enjoyed A
prominent position in the fiaXgrowtng
industry. Unfortunately our interest
ia, 1T has been confined almost ex-
ciiisiYely to the raising of fax for the
sake of its seed as a source OF vaqu-
able Oil. We have had as high as
=, 3. 900. 900 acres sown to fax for this
purpose, and. at best. we have raised
not more than 5000 acres for the sake
OF the fibre. The bulk of the straw
! from tho seed bearing plants has
pretty generally been burned and the
ashes used for fertilizing purposes.
For the past few years there has been.
a growing tendency to utilize the bet.
ter class OF this straw for the manu-
fpcture of tow by certain mills in tho
Northwest. but this trend toward con-
scrvntion is nothing more than hint
OF what might be done to our ad-
vantage.
About three years ago the United
States Department of AElir lure dis
cussed the possible emp. ment OF
American fax straw in the paper and
! fibre board industry, and by way Of
introduction, the author of that bulle-
! tin stated:
! From an economic point of view II
seems inconsistent that this country
should import fax waste from for
! eign countries for paper and board
manufacture and al the same time
actually burn 100000 tons of fax
straw which Is raised within its own
/ borders. The rope, paper and high
grade sack manufacturers also have
been consuming an immense guam
/ tity of foreign raw material in spite
OF the fact that 1t Is we'll known that
American fax straw is capable of be-
| ing used for some of these purposes."
Burning Hurts the Ground.
! Official cereal crop reports showed
last year that we produced l5,606,0o0
bushels Of fax seed, Allowing en-
average Of ten bushels of seed to the
acre that meant that there were
! 1850 500 tons OF fax straw cultivated
Each acre produced one ton OF straw
after the seed was removed. Accord
ing to the figures OF experts, the straw
contained 40 per cent. OF green fibre
and about so per cent. OF woody ma
terial-the latter can be worked sue
cessfully into pulp for paper stock,
A considerable percentage Of the fibre
or tow Is suitable for spinning into
yarns, for weaving into coarse linens,
canvas, sacking, ropes twines, &C.
The shorter fibre, which cannot he
spun successfully, is splendid basic
material for the manufacture OF linen
paper absorbent lint. and tissue and
wrapping papers.
II is safe to say that we burn up
every year fax fibre that is easily
worth between $4,000, 900 and $780,
900 900, and the woody matter in the
straw should bring in tho neighbor-
hood Of $50, 100000. Instead of put
ting these by-products OF the flaxseed
industry to profitable account. we
commonly send them sllyward in the
form OF flame and smoke. Whatever
material benefit Is derived from the
fertiizing ashes is largely Offset by
the damage done 10 the ground where
the straw Is consumed. because the
earth is there baked so hard and
deeply that nothing can be raised
upon II for long while thereafter.
II the war has taught us anything II
has certainly emphasized the need OF
utilizing industrial wastes OF all sorts:
and II we are 10 embark upon tho cre-
alton OF an American linen industry
we should turn our attention likewise
to really economic utilization OF the
straw of our great max seed producing
acreage.