4 BULLETIN 322, U. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGBICULTURE. 



Table II. — Area devoted to flax in certain States in 1899, 1909, and 1913, 

 showing the migration of the crop. 



State. 



1899 



1909 



1913 



State. 



1899 



1909 



1913 



Ohio 



Acres. 



3,092 



394 



192, 167 



7,652 



883 



11,263 



Acres. 



552 



115 



45, 014 



2,934 



261 



9,423 



Acres. 



Iowa 



Acres. 

 126, 453 

 566, 800 

 774, 000 

 302, 010 

 16 



Acres. 



15, 549 



358, 426 



1,068,049 



518, 566 



37, 647 



Acres. 

 28, 000 







350, 000 





60, 000 

 9,000 



North Dakota 



South Dakota 



1, 000, 000 

 425, 000 







400, 000 





9,000 











In 1879 Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana were the leading flax States. 

 From present indications Montana is forging ahead very rapidly as 

 a leading flax State, and Kansas and Nebraska also are becoming 

 larger producers. 



Since North Dakota is the largest flax State, the effect of migration 

 in that State since 1902 has been determined. A north and south line 

 of counties in the extreme eastern end of the State and a similar 

 line of counties in the extreme western end have been chosen for 

 comparison (Table III), to show the effect of migration. 



Table III. — Area devoted to flax in the eastern and tcestem sections of North 

 Dakota, in certain years, shotoing the %oestward migration of the crop. 



Year. 



Number of acres in 

 flax. 



Percentage of total 

 flax acreage of the 

 State. 





Eastern 

 counties. 



Western 

 counties. 



Eastern 

 counties. 



Western 

 counties. 



1902. : 



892,000 

 498, 800 

 267, 000 

 188,240 



145, 400 

 208, 090 

 404,200 

 325, 700 



47.0 

 42.3 

 23.6 

 26.7 



7.6 



1905 



17.6 



1910. . . 



35.7 



1914.. 



46.2 







The figures in Table III show very clearly that the crop has mi- 

 grated westward across the State and that in twelve years the eastern 

 and western sections have changed places in relation to the total flax 

 crop of the State. It naturally might be inferred that the crop will 

 migrate eventually entirely out of the State, but, because of the short 

 distance to the Eocky Mountain region and the Canadian line and 

 because of increased knowledge of successful flax raising, it seems 

 very probable that flax will continue to be an important crop in this 

 State and region for a considerable period. 



FLAX STRAW IN THE PAPER AND FIBER-BOARD INDUSTRY. 



UTILIZATION OF FLAX STRAW IN THE PAPER INDUSTRY. 



There is a great diversity of opinion as to the possibility of 

 economically manufacturing paper from flax straw, but there is an 

 almost unanimous agreement that it contains a certain proportion of 



