UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
| BULLETIN No. 322 
Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry 
IS 
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jPL^*^-rc» WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief £\Jp* < $^U 
Washington, D. C. PROFESSIONAL PAPER. January 7, 1916 
UTILIZATION OF AMERICAN FLAX STRAW IN THE 
PAPER AND FIBER-BOARD INDUSTRY. 
By Jason L. Merrill, Paper-Plant Chemist, Paper-Plant Investigations. 1 
Page. 
Introduction 1 
Migration of the flax crop 3 
Flax straw in the paper and fiber- 
board industry 4 
CONTENTS. 
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 is not suitable for the purpose. It will be shown in this report 
that these reasons have not been well founded. 
1 The work of investigating flax straw as 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 this line of the bureau's activities. 
Note. — This bulletin gives an account of recent work on the utilization of American 
seed-flax straw in the paper and fiber-board industry and will be of interest to chemists, 
flax farmers, counter-board manufacturers, and paper makers in general. 
8957°— Bull. 322—16 1 
