Evening star., 1925-11-26
FLAX MAY CHANGE
TEXTILE INDUSTRY
Fiber Likely to Be Far More
Generally Adopted in
Auto Upholstery.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

special Dlspatch TO Ihe star.
NEW YORK, November 26.-As a
result of recent manufacturing devel-
opments, the flax crop of the country
gives promise of reVOlutiOnizing q
large section of the textile industry
within the next few years. Agricul-
turists and textile men declare the
Ford Motor Co. soon will be prepared
to contract for flax production on a
vast acreage in Minnesota and the
DakotaS.
The close this week of the shipping
season on the Great Lakes, at Duluth,
from which point the heaviest fax
and tiaXseed shipments originate,
makes it certain that the 1925 crop is
nearly S,000,0 900 bushels of seed below
that of 1924. But production has
grown from 10.770,000 bushels to 22,-
320. 600 bushels in the last five years
and a still greater increase is antici-
pated.
Ford Gets Patent Rights.
The Ford Motor Company has re-
Gently acquired complete patent
rights to machine invented by
James McAdam of ST. Paul, which, it
is claimed, will assure the use of
flax fiber in American textiles on
a big scale and revolutioniZe the
linen and cotton textile markets. The
machine combs the fiber, separates
the seed and ConServeS the straw
and other products formerly wasted.
AT present the manufacture of lin
seed oil is the big money item in the
field of flax production. The mills
of st. Paul and Minneapolis. located
near the main source of supply in
the Northwestern States, produce
about 25 per cent of the linseed oil
of the country, but mills have grown
up around New York. Philadelphia,
Toledo and Buffalo. Until now the
seed has been the main source of
revenue to the farmer. With the
new machine, however, the grower
would be able to market other prod
uctS of fax advantageously.
The total linSeed oil made in this
country amounts to about S113,221 ,31S
in money value year.
Seed Consumption Heavy.
Consumption of flax seed in this
country is larger than production and
large quantities are imported from
Canada, Argentina and Manchuria
The long continued activity in build
ing construction has been a sustain
ing factor to linseed oil prices which
are higher than last year, but the
purchase of the McAdam machine by
the Ford interests is expected TO be
as much for linen.
The Ford Co. uses hundreds of thou
sands of yards of fabrics a year for
seat cushions, tops and curtains. The
erection of the new S12 900 600 Ford
plant between Minneapolis and st.
Paul is expected to result in centering
the fabric end of the Ford production
l., Il. al.
the source of supply.
May Guido Corn Crop.
A. X. Burr. secretary of the st.
Paul Federal Land Bank, today pre-
dicted that the fax crop would soon
be producing more revenues for the
Northwest than corn.
The Ford Co. has unique method
Of testing upholstery fabrics for
strength and wearing qualities. The
company employees rubbing test
by which two-seat cushions are auto
matically rubbed together, one a
standard cushion taken from stock
and the other trimmed with the cloth
to be tested. The mechanism permits
a rubbing stroke of two and one-half
inches, and the test continues unit
the cloth of one or both cushions is
worn out. The standard cloth usually
stands up for 140 hours. The cloth
which stands this test is then placed
in a machine which pulls on it unit
the tearing point is reached.
A milestone on the road TO pros
perity for New Englands cottor
plants has been passed, according II
textile engineers. by the arrangement
reached by the Pepperell Nanufactur
ing Co. of Biddeford, Me-. with it,
employees for the introduction of the
multiple loom system. This means, ir
substance, that the number of looms
per operative will be increa sed without
adding corresponding cost of labor.
Copyright 1929