The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1921-01-14
Regarding Growing Flax For
Fiber.

] When we speak of growing flax
for fiber, it should be understood
that the great part of all flax grown
in this country has been for seed
and is a very difficult crop from
every viewpoint. When grown for
flax fibre, more seed is used to the
acre, a flax fibre variety, crop re-
garding which the u. S. Department
upon investigation says that it is
found the average crop removes
less plant food from the soil than
does a crop of oats or corn.
Flax having a delicate pin root,
without lateral roots corn or oats,
extends into the ground only a few
inches, while other grain crops have
very large vigorous root system
extending deep. Flax gets its entire
nourishment from few inches of
the top soil or surface that the
small rOOLS occupy.
Many say they know all about
the growing of flax. 1t might be
well to quote figures from the u. S.
Department of Agriculture which
show that there is 100000 acres
grown in this country. Only 1000
acres are grown for fiber. The grow
ing of flax for fiber should be (and
we unhesitatingly say that it will
be) one Of our greatest industries,
but the growing of flax for fiber
must end with the growing of it
as far as the grower is concerned.
Our entire failure to become a
flax growing and linen making ma
ton has been due to the lack of CO.
operation with the growers. A man
might decide to grow a crop and
grow the finest in the world. Where
would he find market for his
straw? There has been none be-
cause it must be gained by experts.
The machinery costs money and only
recently has ginning machine
been perfected that would make it
practicable. The story is too long to
explain the failures of the past in
producing a marketable fiber be-
cause it has been done entirely by
hand or else the fiber was short
and the linen made from it appear
ed rotten. This accounts for our
small acreage of fiber flax and our
linen mills being compelled to i'm
port annually something over 10000
tons of flax fiber ready to spin.
We are now able to pay a larger
price than any other country in the
world for the flax direct from the
field and be a Godsend to our linen
mills and be able to control the pro-
duction to the demand.
Once the growing of flax for
linen purposes gets established in
this country, new industries will
come up everywhere for new pur-
poses. The demands for linens in
every line, like the oil business to-
day, will go back only one genera
ton and take a list of uses that
oil was used for and compare them
today. SO it is with linen. 1t seems
like an American crime to think so
many years have passed by with no
concentrated effort on the ginning
part of producing flax,
Get the agricultural reports of
the great grain growing states. See
the small price per acre received
for the grains as compared to fiber
flax, and yet the grower has been
tied hand and foot, no use thinking
about growing it without market
and no market could be had with
out a ginning plant.
Mr.. McAdam is the first to pro-
duce a ginning machine that abso-
lutely cuts costs one fourth in get
ting ready for the market. He is
further taking the advice from
bulletin Of the U. S. Department of
Agriculture which says that it must
be remembered that it is not advis-
able for the individual farmer to
grow fiber flax commercially until
he is willing to cooperate with his
neighboring farmer Or flax deal
err. This is why ginning plant
should be established in our vicinity
where the grower contracts his
acreage on the most practicable
basis that will insure him future
market. Today there is not single
crop grown that does not show a
slumping market, but today there
is only five to eight thousand tons
of FLOW f;ho,. o,roy7,, in this country