16 
BULLETIN 3: 
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
liax straw contained a fiber which was very promising for this line 
of product, but the woody portion was so high that it offset to a 
large degree the desirable quality of the bast fiber. 
FLAX TOW IN THE FIBER-BOARD INDUSTRY. 
CONDITION OF THE FLAX-TOW SUPPLY. 
Field work in Minnesota and North Dakota, which was under- 
taken after these tests were made, developed many factors of direct 
and immediate value to this project and to the paper and fiber-board 
industry in general. 
Fig. 5. — A carload of flax upholstering-tow bales. 
Of the total quantity of unused flax straw resulting from the 
thrashing of the flax crop, fully 90 per cent is actually burned in the 
fields. Farmers located near tow mills are able to sell all of their 
straw, getting in some sections $2.50 to $3.50 per ton, loose, hauled 
to the mill. In one section farmers were selling at $1 per ton in the 
stack. In those sections where flax is raised more abundantly, such 
as central and western North Dakota, it is the general belief that 
the baled straw can be delivered f . o. b. cars in large quantity at not 
more than $4 per ton. (Figs. 5 and 6.) 
About the only profitable use to which the straw is put is in the 
manufacture of flax tow, which is consumed for the most part in up- 
holstering and as a packing material for crockery, glassware, etc. 
This tow is made from tangled and broken flax straw after it has 
