24 BULLETIN 322, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



per acre of 25 per cent, which fact also will exert a restraining 

 tendency on the migration of the crop. 



Of this large crop waste, 91 per cent is raised in the following 

 States: North Dakota, 43.7 per cent; Minnesota, 16.1 per cent; South 

 Dakota, 15.7 per cent; and Montana, 15.3 per cent. From the total 

 of 1,600,000 tons of flax straw not over 200,000 tons are put to a 

 profitable use in the manufacture of flax tow and insulating material. 

 Many fruitless attempts to utilize this straw in paper manufacture 

 have been made, but thus far no permanent industries have resulted. 



In the manufacture of fiber counter boards used in shpe manufac- 

 ture, there are used annually about 7,000 tons of flax waste imported 

 from Europe. Since the outbreak of the European war the importa- 

 tion of this material has been curtailed and its price has advanced 100 

 per cent. For these reasons, among others, the Department of Agri- 

 culture has investigated the adaptability of domestic flax for supply- 

 ing this market. As the result of laboratory and commercial co- 

 operative tests in a counter-board mill, counter boards were pro- 

 duced, employing domestic flax tow in place of imported flax waste, 

 which were pronounced satisfactory and were actually sold by the 

 mill to the trade for counter manufacture at the regular price of 

 counter boards, namely, 5 to 5^ cents per pound. 



Flax tow manufactured in the flax region can compete more suc- 

 cessfully than can flax straw with imported flax waste, and, as all 

 counter board is of eastern manufacture, it would seem logical to 

 consider its manufacture near the source of flax-straw supply and 

 near the large and increasing Middle West market. The farmer in 

 the flax regions would then be situated most favorably for the 

 marketing of his flax straw. 



It is realized that this source of utilization would open a market 

 for not over 20,000 tons of straw annually. It is proposed, therefore, 

 to extend this investigation into the lines of wrapping and writing 

 paper manufacture. If successful methods of so using flax straw and 

 tow are discovered, a large proportion of this great and potentially 

 valuable crop waste could be utilized. This not only would benefit 

 the farmer but would exert a very strong tendency toward maintain- 

 ing the flax crop in our system of agriculture. 



The attention of the Department of Agriculture has been called 

 repeatedly to various schemes which have been promoted by indi- 

 viduals and organizations in attempts to lead the farmer to believe 

 that there are demands for flax straw greater than careful investi- 

 gation has shown to exist. The farmer is advised, therefore, to in- 

 vestigate carefully any schemes which have not been thoroughly 

 tested and found to be of practical value by reputable manufacturers. 



WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1915 



