IMPORTANCE OF FLAX 227 



The stems of flax are made up of three layers, the bark, 

 the wood, and the pith. The bark is composed of several 

 layers, of which the most important from an economic point 

 of view is the bast, or fiber, cells. These cells are only about 

 one tenth to one sixth of an inch long, but are so firmly 

 fastened together that fibers of the entire length of the straw 

 may be removed. The process of separating these fibers 

 from the other portions of the stem is described elsewhere. 

 (Section 292). 



IMPORTANCE OF THE CROP 



285. World Production. There are few plants which 

 are put to a greater variety of uses than flax. The fiber from 

 the stem is used in the manufacture of many articles, from 

 the finest linen cloth to coarse twine and bagging. The oil 

 from the seeds is used in the manufacture of paint, varnishes, 

 and other articles; the grain from which the oil has been 

 removed is fed to stock. The mucilage-hke substance which 

 exudes from the seed coat when the grain is dampened is 

 made use of to some extent in medicine, in the making of 

 poultices and for other purposes. The greater portion of the 

 flax which is grown in this country is produced for the seed, 

 from which oil and oilmeal are manufactured, though the 

 straw is used to some extent in the manufacture of twine, 

 bagging, and upholstered articles. 



Fiber flax is produced largely in Russia and in Austria- 

 Hungary, Russia normally furnishing nearly four fifths of the 

 world's supply. Argentina is the leading country in the pro- 

 duction of seed flax, the United States and Russia ranking 

 next in importance. Argentina produced more than 29 

 per cent of the entire world's crop of flaxseed in the five years 

 from 1909 to 1913; European Russia, slightly less than 20 

 per cent; British India, 18 per cent; and the United States, 

 slightly less than 18 per cent. The average world produc- 

 tion for this period was 109,000,000 bushels. 



