﻿Report 
  of 
  Parker 
  C. 
  McIlMney. 
  

  

  Hon. 
  Chabt.es 
  A. 
  WiETiJiTG, 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  : 
  

  

  Dear 
  Sir. 
  — 
  I 
  have 
  the 
  honor 
  to 
  submit 
  the 
  following 
  report 
  upon 
  

   linseed 
  oil 
  and 
  its 
  adidterants: 
  

  

  Linseed 
  oil 
  is 
  the 
  oil 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  seeds 
  of 
  the 
  flax 
  plant, 
  

   Limnn 
  iisitatissimum. 
  Formerly 
  the 
  oil 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  

   was 
  obtained 
  principally 
  from 
  Indian 
  and 
  other 
  foreign 
  seed, 
  but 
  

   of. 
  late 
  years 
  the 
  domestic 
  seed 
  has 
  gradually 
  replaced 
  the 
  foreign, 
  

   although 
  considerable 
  quantities 
  of 
  Calcutta 
  seed 
  are 
  still 
  imported. 
  

   The 
  oil 
  obtained 
  from 
  Calcutta 
  seed 
  usually 
  commands 
  a 
  higher 
  

   price, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  light 
  color, 
  and 
  is 
  by 
  some 
  considered 
  superior 
  

   to 
  that 
  obtained 
  from 
  American 
  seed. 
  Any 
  real 
  superiority 
  of 
  Cal- 
  

   cutta 
  oil 
  is, 
  however, 
  difficult 
  to 
  define, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  likely 
  that 
  

   prejudice 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  the 
  imported 
  article 
  has 
  much 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  the 
  

   preference. 
  Calcutta 
  oil 
  is 
  generally 
  sold 
  raw 
  and 
  is 
  largely 
  con- 
  

   sumed 
  by 
  varnish 
  makers. 
  

  

  Linseed 
  is 
  a 
  crop 
  which 
  has- 
  a 
  very 
  exhausting 
  effect 
  upon 
  the 
  soil, 
  

   and 
  it 
  is 
  for 
  this 
  reason 
  grown 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  mostly 
  on 
  the 
  

   frontier 
  of 
  the 
  agTicultural 
  territory. 
  The 
  result 
  of 
  this 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  

   principal 
  sources 
  of 
  supply 
  for 
  domestic 
  seed 
  are 
  gTadually 
  mov- 
  

   ing 
  further 
  west 
  and 
  northwest. 
  It 
  is 
  estimated 
  that 
  13,000,000 
  

   to 
  14,000,000 
  bushels 
  of 
  flaxseed 
  were 
  gTO\vn 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  in 
  

   1898, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  production 
  in 
  1899 
  will 
  reach 
  15,000,000 
  bush- 
  

   els, 
  Tlie 
  usual 
  yield 
  of 
  oil 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  of 
  2.3 
  gallons 
  per 
  

   bushel 
  of 
  seed. 
  

  

  The 
  methods 
  of 
  extracting 
  the 
  oil 
  are 
  two, 
  by 
  extraction 
  with 
  

   volatile 
  solvents 
  and 
  by 
  pressing. 
  The 
  extraction 
  method 
  is 
  not, 
  to 
  

   my 
  knowledge, 
  practiced 
  in 
  ISTew 
  York 
  State. 
  To 
  extract 
  the 
  oil 
  

   by 
  pressing, 
  the 
  seed 
  when 
  it 
  arrives 
  at 
  the 
  mill 
  is 
  first 
  cleaned, 
  then 
  

  

  455 
  

  

  