New Machine Solves Labor Problem 



The cultivation of fibre flax in Canada has hitherto 

 been retarded by labor difficulties. The crop has had to 

 be pulled by hand, a laborious and very expensive process, 

 for which rates as high as $25 an acre, piece-work, have 

 been paid in the East. This year the Vessot flax pulling 

 machine has been brought to a state of practical develop- 

 ment and has operated successfully both in Ontario and 

 Manitoba. There is not the slightest doubt but that this 

 machine represents the solution of the labor problem in 

 regard to flax. Its capacity is from six to nine acres a day, 

 depending upon the weight of the crop. 



At the present moment, the flax market is somewhat 

 depressed. Belgium this year planted every available 

 acre to flax, and about 5,000 tons of Russian flax, released 

 from storage, came on the market. The high price of linen 

 has resulted in a temporary cessation of buying, and 

 spinners are holding back production in an effort to force 

 down the prices asked by the growers. The writer believes 

 that this is a purely temporary condition. Belgium has 

 not the necessary land for rotation to enable her to main- 

 tain this year's production, and in Russia the situation 

 is still chaotic. Mills cannot long stay out of the market 

 for their raw material. 



Cost of Production and Revenue 



In figuring the economics, the capital charge on land 

 should be placed against the crop of, say, 200 acres, allowing 

 the necessary acreage for rotation. To this add the local 

 cost of ploughing, discing, and seeding and allow for seed 

 at two bushels an acre and, say, four dollars per bushel. 

 The flax must be pulled, retted, broken and scutched. In 

 the hand-pulling process, allow $25 an acre; if by machine, 

 $10, plus the distributed capital charge on the cost of 

 the machine, which is $2,500 and a smalj royalty 

 charge. Retting, turning and spreading is estimated at 

 $5 . 00 per acre, and, in addition to this, there is the cost 

 of hauling to the mill. The necessary milling machinery 

 and buildings should not exceed $20,000. Capital cost, 

 interest on this item, depreciation, and overhead must be 

 added to the cost per acre. Figure two tons of straw per 

 acre and seven cents a pound for the operation of scutching. 

 The total cost of production should not exceed thirty 

 cents per pound of fibre. As revenue this will return per 

 acre, say, 300 pounds in line fibre at $1 .00 to $0.50; one 

 hundred pounds of tow at $0.40 to $0.25; and ten bushels 

 of seed at $8.00 to $4.00 (all subject to market fluctu- 

 ations). 



Since the conclusion of this article, the announcement 

 is made that the Dominion Government has secured the 

 services of two flax experts who will visit all Canadian 

 mills for the purpose of establishing grades of Canadian 

 fibre which will be recognized on foreign markets. This is 

 a progressive step for the industry as it means that growers 

 need no longer submit samples in marketing their product 

 and buyers will know that they are purchasing to a certified 

 standard. 



The Linen Industry in Canada 



The linen industry was initiated in Canada 

 in 1902 by Mr. William Berry, now Vice-Presi- 

 dent of the Dominion Linens Limited, Guelph, 

 Ontario. Previous to this time, however, there 

 had been several attempts at linen manufacture, 

 and mills established in different parts of Canada, 

 but all had resulted in failure. 



From the earliest period of human history 

 till almost the close of the eighteenth century, 

 linen manufacture was one of the most extensive 

 and widely disseminated of the domestic indus- 

 tries of European countries. It was most 



largely developed in Russia, Austria, Germany, 

 Holland, Belgium, Northern France, certain 

 parts of England, the North of Ireland and 

 throughout Scotland. 



In the latter part of the eighteenth century, 

 the invention of cotton spinning machinery 

 gave the linen weaving industry a fatal blow. 

 Domestic spinning and weaving began to shrink 

 and with it hand loom weaving. 



In 1815, at Darlington, England, a machine 

 was invented which, after many improvements 

 and modifications, has become the perfect 

 system of machinery with which, at the present 

 day, linen spinning mills are furnished. The 

 discovery of a process for the mechanical 

 spinning of linen yarn for weaving into cloth by 

 power loom was much slower than in the 

 corresponding case of cotton. 



Two Branches of Industry 



There are two branches in the modern 

 manufacture, spinning and weaving, to which 

 may be added bleaching and various finishing 

 processes. The flax fibre is received in bundles 

 from the scutch mills, and after having been 

 classed into various grades, according to the 

 quality of the material, is labelled and placed 

 in store ready for the flax mill. 



The whole operations in yarn manufacture 

 comprise: (1) hackling; (2) preparing; (3) spin- 

 ning. Hackling is a preparatory process con- 

 sisting in combing out and laying smooth and 

 parallel the fibres, and splitting up and separating 

 into their ultimate filaments the strands of 

 fibre which, up to this point, have been agglu- 

 tinated together. 



The various operations of preparing have for 

 their object the proper assortment of material 

 into qualities for spinning, drawing out the 

 fibres to perfectly uniform grades and colors, 

 containing throughout an equal quantity of 

 fibre of given length. 



Canadian Industry Successfully Started 



When the manufacture of linen in Canada 

 was successfully started, the idea was to purchase 

 yarns from the Continental and Irish spinning 

 mills, which were being supplied with Russian 

 flax, at a price much below that for which flax 

 could be grown in Canada. As most of the linen 

 manufacturers in Ireland were weavers only, 

 buying their yarns from spinners, it was thought 

 quite possible and feasible that the same method 

 could be employed with success in Canada, and, 

 prior to the war, the linen business depended 

 entirely on these imported yarns to keep their 

 plants in operation. 



In the year 1913, it is estimated that Russia 

 produced about 400,000 tons of flax, and other 

 European countries, including Great Britain and 

 Ireland, 100,000 tons. The exports of flax from 

 Russia in the year 1913 were over 200,000 tons, 



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