Year: 1863

The cultivation of fax belongs to-
the age of homespun, and has gone by
as a general crop in this countEy.--
Fifty years ago it was common on al
most every farm, and the brake, the
hatchel, the swimming board, and
knife, were as much farming tools, as
the dung fork and the pillow. Indoors,
were the spinning wheel for fax, and
the loom, where the linen and tow
cloth were made for summer wear
Flax seed was then abundant, and oil
mills for pressing the seed were to be
found at convenient ,centers. But
many of the present generation have
never seen such an establishment, and
have no idea of the process Of making
linseed oil. Though fax is still raised
in this country in particular localities,
the crop does not meet our demands,
Large quantities Of seed are imported
mainly from Russia, England; and the
British East Indies. In the year 1856
over million bushels were brought
to this country from the British East
Indies alone. u.L


In making the oil, quite a variety
of machinery is used-nore or less
expensive, according to the enterprise
and capital of the manufactures. The
seed is first passed through iron rol-
lers to be crushed or ground. One Of
these rollers is made to revolve more
rapidly than the other, which subjects
each seed to pulling, as we'll as .
crushing process. The meal is taken
from the mill to the " chasers, where
it is subjected to another crushing
process, more severe than the first,
The chasers are two large stones,
about FIVE feet in diameter and eightN
cen inches thick, rolling npon third
stone, in the manner Of an old fash
ioned bark or cider mill. These heavy
stones start the oil from the meal, and
to keep it from adhering TO the ehas'
ers it is moistened with water.


The meal is next put into an iron
cylinder whichis kept revolving over
fire until the water is evaporated.


Much of the skill in the art Of max
ing oil, depends upon this heating
process. 1t must not be scorched;
and yetit wants to be brought up to
high temperature, so that it will read
lily give out It's oil. The presses are
of various structure, somo of them
patented, and others not open to pub
lie inspection. In the one that We
saw, the yats or hoops, holding about
two bushels each, were placed oppO~
site each other against two immense
beams, or uprights, made fast in the
foundations of the building. The fol-
lowers were forced down upon the
meal by two large levers worked by
hydraulic power. The meal is kept
under pressure about an hour, and the
two presses work up about ninety-six
bushels of meal every tEenty-four
hours. The mill is kept running
night and day for six days in the
week. The product is not far from
two gallons of oil to the bushel of
seed, little more or less, according
to the quality Of the seed and the
skill in pressing. The cakes as
taken from the press, are sometimes
sold by the ton without grinding.


They are generally exported in this
form. Where there is market in the
vicinity of the mill, the cakes are put
under the chasers and ground into
meal, bagged and sent to the feed
stores. The price ofthe cake is from
thirty to forty dollars per ton, ground
into meal, it retails at about two dol
lars hundred pounds. This is the
faVOrite feed for fattenlng stock with
| the British farmer, and Onght to re-
ceive more attention among gs.


The process Of making OOtton-seed
oil and cake is nearly the same. e
is new discovery that Cotton seeds
contain valuable Oil.=-Several patents
for machinery to make it have rsceRt-


ly been taken. The oil has not yet q
: steady market valua. 1ihe cake is