THE FLAX SHORTAGE 



JAMES A. McCRACKEN, Secretary, The Canadian Flax Growers' Assn., 



St. Mary's, Ont. 



A call for flax straw in baled form has come from Belfast and Dundee flax-spinning 

 companies. They have actually tried to buy great quantities of green flax straw in 

 Ontario with the intention of transporting it across the Atlantic and extracting the 

 fibre. For every ten tons of such straw they would get only about one ton of usable 

 fibre. The cost of transportation alone would amount to several times the normal 

 price of the fibre. 



We do not export wheat in the sheaf, why should we export flax straw in bulk? 



The flax stringency, which arises chiefly from the fact that Russia's flax production 

 is reduced by 40% and Belgium flax cannot be had, is aggravated by the high rates of 

 transport. The second factor is little less potent than the first in creating a demand for 

 more flax. 



As a result of the shortage Irish flaxes have risen in price to between $700 and $850 

 a ton, and Canadian fibre to about $450 a ton — these figures being double those obtaining 

 in pre-war times. Though all grades of flax are eagerly picked up, the most crying need 

 is for the finer grades, largely because the ability to substitute jute and hemp for flax 

 decreases as the spinning material advances in quality and purpose. 



Need of more Exports — Though the Empire in this hour can do without flax 

 better than without bread, we face the fact that there are several nations (e.g. Argentina 

 and the United States) outside the zone of warfare which are ready and able to increase 

 the production of wheat, while there is none, except Canada and Japan (both in a limited 

 degree), ready to increase the supply of flax fibre for spinning. Neither Canada nor 

 Japan, it may be stated, ordinarily exports enough flax fibre to be placed in international 

 trade statistics. 



Canada can do a good deal more in this direction than she is doing. The urgency 

 grows stronger when we appreciate that every acre of flax devoted to fibre purposes 

 means from $75 to $100 in exports. Whatever flax we export gees mainly to the New 

 England mills and to Ireland, thereby assisting in restoring our trade balance and 

 relieving, directly or indirectly, the needs of the hour. 



Cultural Practices in Canada — Wherever the usual Canadian practice of farming 

 is followed, it is customary for the flax grower to work in co-operation with a flax mill. 

 About 25 of these mills (several reopened) are now bargaining for land rentals in 

 S.W. Ontario. It is usual for the millman to rent fields from the farmers in the district at 

 from $10 to $14 an acre. The farmer tills the land, and in some cases hauls in the 

 crop. The farmer undertakes the tasks of sowing, weeding and harvesting. Though 

 the custom hitherto has been to restrict rentals to distances within team-haul of the 

 mill, there is a growing tendency for mill men to buy flax or rent land at points upwards 

 of fifty miles, and transport the flax in baled form by rail to the central mill. For such 

 straw delivered at a siding, from $13 to $15 a ton, seed on, is paid. 



Various considerations, purely agricultural, sometimes make flax the best crop a 

 farmer can sow. Some of these factors are: 



1. The presence of wire worm- (Flax immune to the pest.) 



2. Excessively rich soil. (Too rank for grain.) 



3. Unevenness of soil surface. (New breaking stump-strewn.) 



4. Shortage of labour. (Indians or other outsiders harvest the crop.) 



5. The need of a longer rotation. 



6. Need of early cash returns. 



How to Cultivate — In Southern Canada flax does well on fertile loams and clays 

 when deep-ploughed, underdrained and well pulverized. The seed is sowrt broadcast 

 by hand or with a flax drill, usually at the rate of 84 lbs. of (90% germinating) seed to 



140 



