UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



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I BULLETIN No. 322 



Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry 

 WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief 



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Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER. 



January 7, 1916 



UTILIZATION OF AMERICAN FLAX STRAW IN THE 

 PAPER AND FIBER-BOARD INDUSTRY. 



By Jason L. Mebbill, Paper-Plant Chemist, Paper-Plant Investigations. 1 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction 



Migration of the flax crop 



Flax straw in the paper and fiber- 

 board industry 



Page. 



1 

 3 



Page. 

 Flax tow in the fiber-board in- 

 dustry 16 



Suggestions for flax farmers 22 



Conclusions 23 



INTRODUCTION. 



The purpose of this paper is to report recent tests on the utilization 

 of American seed-flax straw in the paper and fiber-board industry. 

 Successful commercial tests have been completed, wherein domestic 

 flax straw and tow were used in place of imported flax waste in the 

 manufacture of fiber counter boards, which are employed to a great 

 and increasing extent in making toe boxes and counters for shoes. 

 The boards made during these tests were pronounced satisfactory by 

 manufacturers and were sold to the trade at the regular price for 

 such boards. 



From an economic point of view it seems inconsistent that this 

 country should import flax waste from foreign countries for paper 

 and board manufacture and at the same time actually burn one and 

 one-half million tons of flax straw which is raised within its own 

 borders. The reason usually given and naturally assumed is that it 

 is more profitable to use the foreign article or that the domestic ma- 

 terial La not suitable for the purpose. It will be shown in this report 

 that these reasons have not been well founded. 



i The work of Investigating flax straw ns a paper-making material was initiated by 

 Mr. Charles J. Brand, now Chief of the Office of Markets and Rural Organization, when 

 he was Physiologist in Charge of Paper-Plant Investigations of this bureau. Mr. Brand 

 still retains supervision of ibis line of the bureau's activities. 



Nora. This bulletin gives an account <>i' receni work on the utilization of American 

 seed-flu straw In the paper and fiber-board industry and will in- of interest i<> chemists, 



flax farmers, counter-hoard manufacturers, and paper makers In general. 



J057 Bull. 322— 16- 



l 



