22 



BULLETIN 322, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Table VIII.- 



-Yield of washed filter from flax straw, medium toiv, and imported 

 flax toaste. 



Material tested. 



Lime 

 used. 



Time of 

 treat- 

 ment. 



Pressure 

 per 



square 

 inch. 



Yield of 



washed 



fiber. 





Per cent. 

 18 

 17 

 10 



Hours. 



6 



5 



10 



Pounds. 

 100 

 100 

 45 



Per cent. 

 41.2 



Medium flax tow 



50.4 





55.7 







It should be remembered that these are experimental results, and 

 although necessarily they do not represent the mill yields, they are 

 strictly comparative. Probably the yields are lower than those in 

 mill practice. Although domestic flax tow yields a lower percentage 

 of washed fiber than does imported flax waste, the lower price paid 

 for the former makes the total cost of the washed product made from 

 domestic tow delivered as far east as Boston very little more than 

 the total cost of washed fiber produced from imported waste. It would 

 thus appear that, so far as both cost and quality of product are con- 

 cerned, the domestic flax tow from the region of the Dakotas can 

 compete against imported flax waste in the manufacture of counter 

 boards even if the manufacture is conducted as far east as Boston. 

 If the board manufacture is conducted near the flax region, the 

 results would be about as 7 to 5 in favor of domestic tow. 



SUGGESTIONS FOR FLAX FARMERS. 



Many letters have been received from the farmers of the flax region 

 asking for information in regard to the profitable disposal or utiliza- 

 tion of their waste flax straw. 



So far as its use in the paper industry is concerned, it is obvious 

 that no immediate benefit can be derived until its value in this line 

 is proved and industries are established which will create a market 

 for it. The success of the project depends to a certain extent upon 

 the farmer. The price of his straw must net him a fair profit, but 

 at the same time this price must be such that the material will be 

 attractive to the paper manufacturer. When the time comes that 

 the paper industry will be in a position to use this material the flax 

 farmer should have made arrangements to supply the material in 

 such a manner that he may secure his proper proportion of the bene- 

 fits and profits. 



It would seem, from the paper-maker's as well as the farmer's 

 standpoint, that the most beneficial and profitable as well as generally 

 satisfactory method of assembling this material for the market would 

 be to establish a number of small tow mills throughout the region 

 where the most flax is grown rather than to establish a smaller num- 

 ber of larger tow mills. This method would render more material 

 available, benefit more farmers, and place the product on the market 

 at a lower price. 



