24 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 1 



business. I will now give you briefly the sum of 

 the matter : , , . , 



'<1. Estimate for buiUings and machinery to 

 manufacture 1,000 tons of short staple flax per 

 year, according to information derived from iVJr. 

 Olcott, will cost about - - - §30,000 

 "The actual expense of preparing 1,000 

 tons, including the expense of the raw 

 material, at S250 per ton - - 250,000 



8280,000 



"Now let us estimate this fine flax worth fifty 

 cents per pound, which will not be deemed an ex- 

 travagant price, when it is considered that every 

 pound of flax will make from four to five yards of 

 cloth, say four yards, and that this can be manu- 

 factured at four cents per yard. These 1,000 tons, 

 beinf^ 2,000,000 pounds, will be worth, at 50 cents 

 per pound ' - - - " 81,000,000 

 "Now deduct from this, as above, for 

 buildings, machinery, raw material, 



and expense of manufacturing the 



short staple flax, - - - ^280,0 00 



"Which leaves a profit, after paying 



for building and machinery - $720,000 



"2. Estimate for manufacturing the short sta- 

 ple into fine linen. I have been informed, by 

 gentlemen engaged in cotton factories, that it is 

 considered a fair and safe estimate, in establishing 

 cotton factories, that every loom you put into ope- 

 ration will cost 81,000. This includes all expense 

 for site, buildings, machinery, &c. A power loom, 

 to fro into complete operation, it is estimated, will 

 turn out 30 yards of cloth a day. Then to manu- 

 facture 1,000 tons of fine flax, being 2,000,000 

 pounds, which will make 8,000,000 of yards, you 

 must have in operation about 850 looms, which, 

 at S 1,000 each, give - - - ^850,000 

 "For spinning 2,000,000 pounds, at 8 



cents per pound - - - 160,000 



"For weaving and putting up 8,000,- 



000 yds., at two cents per yard - 100,000 

 "For 1,000 tons or 2,000,000 pounds of 



short staple flax at 50 cents - 1,000,000 



"The whole expense of buildings, ma- 

 chinery, labor, and stock, for produ- 

 cinfr 8,000,000 yards of fine linen, is $2,170,000 



"If we estimate this linen at fifty cents per 

 yard, then 8,000,000 yards, at fifty cents, is 



"Deduct lor buildings, machinery, 

 stock, and labor, - - - 82,170,000 



Which leaves the net proceeds - 81)830,000 



"Now, according to the above estimates, the 

 farmers on the western prairies would make from 

 a flax crop at least trom 825 to $30 per acre from 

 their land, which cost them only 81 25 per acre. 



"The manufacturers of the raw material into 

 the fine short staple flax, would make between 

 two and three hundred per cent, on their capital 

 invested in this business. 



"And the linen manufacturer, alter payintr for 

 all his buildings, machinery, stock, and labor, 

 would clear nearly one hundred per cent, the first 



year; and after that his profits will also be between 

 two and three hundred per cent, on his invest- 

 ments. From this it is evident that linen might 

 be manufactured and sold from fifty to one hun- 

 dred per cent, below the above estimated prices; 

 and yet, all engaged in this business make it a 

 very profitable operation. This would be a great 

 saving to the consumers of this article. But this 

 is not the only advantage the country will derive 

 from the introduction and manufacture of the 

 short staple flax; for we shall have introduced a 

 new staple, admirably adapted to be combined 

 with other staples, particularly that of silk. This 

 will greatly aid the silk manufacturers of our 

 country, and enable them soon to furnish a con- 

 siderable quantity of this new and very substan- 

 tial article for wearing apparel for the use of gen- 

 tlemen. If our farmers and manufacturers were 

 to turn their attention to the cultivation of flax and 

 manufacture of linen, and of a silk and linen fa- 

 bric, it would not only be very profitable to them- 

 selves, but annually save several millions of dol- 

 lars to our country, which we now pay to other 

 nations lor linens and silks. This subject is cer- 

 tainly worthy the attention of every man who has 

 the best interests and prosperity of his country at 

 heart; and I hope it will claim the attention of the 

 farming and manufacturing interests in the states 

 most interested in this business. 



"1 have given you my views freely on this sub- 

 ject. They have been drawn up hastily; let then> 

 pass for what they are worth, and make what use 

 of them you please. 



"I am, with great respect, your friend, &c., 



"j. f. scherbierhorn. 

 "Hon. H. L. Ellsworth. 



Washington, D. C" 

 "We are aware that objections may be raised 

 to the sum of fifty cents per pound for the "short 

 staple;" though that price might be sustained by 

 reference to the present cost of linens. 



"The short staple, however, can be prepared at 

 about 8250 per ton, and afforded at twenty-five 

 cents per pound, giving an immediate profit of 

 one hundred per cent. Allowing it to be bought 

 at this price, it could be manufactured into linen 

 and sold at twenty-five cents per yard; yieldinir, 

 in this shape, to the manufacturer, a further profit 

 of one hundred per cent., as his reward." 



It is found by experiment, that one acre of good 

 land will vield a bale (or four hundred pounds) of 

 cotton, ready for the market; and it is believed a 

 similar amount of the short staple may^be raised 

 upon an acre of the western prairies. The calcu- 

 lation is as follows: Seven tons of the flax in stem 

 are required for one of the short staple. At the 

 rate, therefore, of one and a half ton, or 3,000 

 pounds) of the stem per acre, it will be found that 

 each acre will produce four hundred and twenty- 

 eight pounds of the short staple; a fact, exhibit- 

 ing conclusively the future value of the prairies, 

 should the culture of flax be generally adopted. 



In many portions of our country, especially in 

 New Jersey and New York, flax is raised wiih 

 reference to the seed alone, and the lint is thrown 

 away. 



Mowing flax has been resorted to f)y many 

 farmers, in prelerence to the tedious and expensive 

 modes of pulling, heretofore in use. This, howe- 

 ver, is a process which always leaves, the stem en- 

 tangled and difficult to break. In the new me- 



