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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 1928)
20 The Oregon Statesman, Salem, Oregon, Sunday Morning, October 2t, 192& LAXINDU HERE. OFFERS SOUNDLESS POSSIJBTLI , I . m State Making Marvelous Strides In Development of Flax Raising Industry Crop Projected For Next Year Will Come From. 4,500 Acres With Yield of 8,000 Tons All unaer tonxraci to Oregon's Own MKIs ARVELOUS developments are takinsr place in the flax industry of Oregon. The state's flax industry was w The macninery wa arcnaic, cumpAicu wiw w v . tv mothnda wprp eomiarativeiv cruae. i ex tne in stalled at the penitentiary in 1915, with 370 acre of flax contracted for. It had its ups and downs; more downs than dustry persisted. Despite the destruction or tne scuxcninj? plpnt by fire, there was " marked progress, compared wlfh former Deriods. for the - foiur years preceding April 1, 1027, when the pressnt aamin istration of the penitentiary began under H. W. Meyers as superintendent and Col. W. B. - Bertram in charge of the in dustries. Since that date there have been marvelous developments. The de tailed list of them would take pares beyond the available space ' for this article. ! I On lis own Tirst is the fact that the flax industry has been put on a deftn- . . Ji . n i n n nrlnv husia The legislature of 1925 made an appro priation of ?100,000. when th present revolving: fund law was passed; but this represented a Baking of the cost or maintenance off the two yearB previous, nd the $i)0,000 was all used ; &I capital investment: in new buuuibs u machinery and equipment. Mn 127 toe legislature auueu 1X00,000 to . the revolving fund. bift about $84,000 has been put lnfto buildings an dequlpment since a "year ago last April,-and a great oqal more man toe oaimc imu the crops of the farmers. jlA few weeks ago, after figuring oft the total cost of the crop of 1128, Including the part of It that was taken over from growers, mostly in the Aurora, and Canby districts, who had not contracted wXh the state, there was still a tfjrplus of cash in the revolving fund of over $12,006; and with fljtx on hand tn the sheds that, in the process of manufacturing, will be! turned into scores and hun-J1 drds of thousands of dollars worth of products. jNew money is now being turned Irito that fund at the rate of over liOOO for each week day. Thi fUnd is piling op so satisfactorily that it is now thought there will b enough to pay for the 192 eipv of flax on 4500 acres of land, More Efficiency A humidifying' plant has been put into the .scutching room, so that work may go on in the.dr, months of July and August. Thete is a balanced all the year around operation. The local linen mills at present are taking all the fiber products, paying 28 cents a pound for firr.t quality line fiber, 26 for second. 24 for third, and several grades still lower bringing'smaller prices. Paying 15, 13 and 12 cents a pound for different grades of spin ning tow. All based on New York market prices. (There has lately been a small advance.) There is accurate grading of all fibers at the state flax plant. Ev erything is done according to the rules of the trade. The whole thing requires the entire time of a bookkeeper. Everything has been or is being systematized, ac cording to the practices In the high class manufacturing plants of this country. Sheets are pre pared so that in the office there is a record- of.Hpry worker and every Item of i&v material or manufactured producC Nothing at ail is guessed at. ' Heads the List Col. W. .B.- Bartram Is now making a tour of the east, getting every new slant of the marketing and manufacturing details of the flax and linen industries In the United States. He will be home about the first of November. He writes In one of Ills letters Just received Oregon Is now producing one of the finest flax fibers In the world. Oregon Is producing yarns that are meeting a ready market everywhere In the manufacturing districts of the country." , There Is no other district in1 the entire world that is as up to date in flax growing and fiber manu facturing as Orgon's own. No other section that employs all the latest machinery and equipment With the contemplated improve, ments for 1929, the end of the coming year will witness an oper ation that will be a model for all nations. The state flax industry LIB INDUSTRY BEING STUDIED Aurora Man in Ireland Gives Interesting Interview to Belfast Newspaper The Belfast, Ireland, Telegraph tells of a talk. with E. G. Robin son, who ae has been stated in the columns of The Statesman, Is mak ing a study of the flax and linen industres in Europe, with a view to entering those industries in the Willamette valley. Mr. Robin son owned the electric light and power plants in the Aurora - and Can by sections, but sold them last year giving hjm the opportunity and neans to take the course he Is pursuing. The following Is part of the article from the Irish news paper: That there is still a big market in America for Ulster linen is the definitely expressed view of E. G. Robinson, of Aurora, Or., who, with his wife, is spending sever al months in the North of Ireland State Flax Industry Has Definite Contract Policy On September 13, Immediately after the state board of control put Its O. K." on the increase of the flax acreage from .3000 to 4 BOO. the state flax industry, H. W. Meyers, superinten'dent, by W. B. Bartram, manager, prepared and sent out to the farmers of this seetlon the following burleun. un der the" heading, "1929 Fiber Flax Contracts:" "To enable our flax growers to prepare the program for their fall and spring crops, the question of the flax acreage for naxt year has been taken up by the manage ments here as early as possible. "The Oregon state board of control has authorized 4500 acres for planting this year. This is 1500 acres more than was planted last year. In order to handle this acreage we must start planning and organizing our work now. "The flax crop this past harvest was not as good as last year, largely due to a very unfavorable spring. You will agree with us that this is a condition controlled only by a supreme power.- The flax crops in a large part of Eur ope were also the poorest that they have experienced in, many THIS WEEK'S SLOGAN If lit IUU niiun uiai vuia la iuv ucb iuuhuj iu uic nrnrM fn, 4 tin nrwf iut inn hf ffav for- ita fihpr for thp TTVtlU 1VI ..v.. ' - - " making of yarns, twines, thread and linens; that our water, being "soft," is just right for the treatment ef the flax straw, and taking it through all the processes of manufacture, from the retting to the weaving of the 1 cloth; that our climate and elevation are just rijht; that, when these facts become universally known, the flax industry .win be fully developed here, and tftatjt grill bring'to cr valley a Kunjjxjed miliion d o liars lit Ha -' ally; that we care now in successful operation ouHfirst mills for making flax yarns, twines and threads and the woven linen fabrics of commerce, vand that Salem is; already the fiber flax center of the United States, with an immediate' future that is most promising? ly in our spring crops. . M3. A scheme of rotation i field crops must be adopted that will materially assist in bringing about objectives number 1 and number 2. "4. The. following rotation is suggested as a guide: Clover, flax, fall wheat or barley or oats, cul tivation crops; the flax to follow the clover with late fall or winter plowing. "5. In selecting fields for a flax crop we recommend clover sod or old pasture land or new land that has one or two cultivation crops on it, all of -the land to be well drained and' known to be free of noxious weeds. "6. The worst type of weeds we have to contend with in the flax crop so far are wild oats, Canada thistle, several varieties of the mustard plant and wild black berry vine. The other" common varieties of weeds are more or leBs easily controlled under normal spring conditions and by rotation. Outstanding Problems , "One of the outstanding eoatly problems confronting our flax growers has been the question of pulling the crop. We: have not been unmindful of this and be lieve the following will reduce the Cost of pulling 50 per cent; after studying, this question for some years so as to hand on to eur farmers a definite plan that would solve this to the satisfaction of all. The state has for years been pull ing flax at fixed, charges each year, adding improvements to the flax pulling machine and also re ducing the cost or purchase price of these machines. The first ma- tons of it with and more with perhaps 8000 nfcmal crop; bumper crop. The reader will realize the im portance of all this fhen he knows tniat the flax crop (the raw ma terial supplies) of the state flax pfent must be bought and paid fair-one year, and cannot be turned lijko cash for another year, and milch of it for two years. The raw materials must be taken in and paid for a year or more in ad vance. f' The Industry is now "on its n," or nearly so. That means m great deal. It means a very l4fge capital investment in build ings and machinery and equip ment, and in raw materials. , ; j. . Thi May Go On " jThla may.' go ?on, without : f ur- tfcen 80.00, and on up to 10.000, without legislative appropriations. And after 10.000 acres of flax can bit taken care of,, the Institution . will be self supporting forever and a dav. And a small win ntd t. every inmate worker, as is the case now in the flax industry. To siy nothing of a large free labor pay rou. . jjAt-the state flax plant, there are many products; line fiber of per stock, upholstering tow, drug aiid reseedlng seed, drug meal. stock food and . seed for the oil nfills the shires being used- for Iel. - i Stat Own MHtn. ?;Tfce state rjwna- 31 flu aniif- njaciunes. ii win amid -1 S -more res cn next cron. It bnilda n questionably the best pulling ma- cnine in the world; the 1929 model. As high as 158 bags er 16 busl els of flax. seed Is threshed here If a day, selling at $2.23 a busherH -r"er t wo wortu in a day. Vast improvements in efficiency of wprking foroes have been made In the threshing or deseeding; the same in scutching. The efficiency cd a scutching shift has been run up from 700 pounds a day to 3000 'pounds. H ill then be on a basis of approach. ing $2000 every week day for its products. And with a certainty of doubling this within a few years; or more than doubling it with all available inmate labor em ployed, and a large force of free labor in all departments. :.The J. W. S. Seed The state started with less than an acre planted to the J. W. 8. pedigreed seed in 1926; five acres in 1927. and about 30 acres this year. There will be about 150 acres next year. 750 acres in 1930. and 3750 in 1931. Then, begin. nlng with 1933. Oregon's flax will all be J. W. S., producing fouf tons of straw and 1000 pounds of fiber to the acre. (Sooner, perhaps, if suitable additional seed can be se cured from ether countries.) - -Tnis wui mean an advance that win be epochal. It will mean that Oregon wHL ba? producing flax fi ber cheaper than cotton fiber can be produced anywhere. It will mean that the state will have to hare more-and more linen mills. it will mean that Oregon will -be well on lis way towards the $100.' 000,000 annual industry that is surely coming to this district the largest ' permanent industrial' op eration in this state. Old as his tory. Stable as wheat. .Mounting into ; uncomparable final firurei for every acre employed the final figures being, for the-fine linens. tapestries." races, pte.? etc Na ture has laid the sure foundations ncreln advantages), possessed by no, ineryaewiens of the New WorlaVj..J in : reglone 'f. where i parasite In. terfere with .sheep -raising, It" is best ' to breed ewes in time to lamb early, and market before the parasite share the profits. - his main object being to study the flax-growing and linen manufac turing industries. In addition to making his own personal investi gations throughout the province, Mr. Robinson is taking a course In spinning, wearing, etc., is the textile school of the Belfast Muni cipal Technical Institute. He Is by profession an electrical engineer, being a graduate of Stanford uni versity. His daughter has . also graduated at his .alma mater, and his eon will, enter his third year at Stanford this fall. Market Growing The market for Ulster linen in the states, declares. Mr. Robinson, is growing rather than decreasing. The Oregon Statesman, in Its farming and industrial magazine section; recently stated that he 'has for a number of years been quite active In the promotion of the growing and production of flax and linen in the Willamette valley, and has spent considerable time and money in this work.' Mr. Robinson has made an exhaustive study of the whole industry, a summary of the results of which has been published. He intends to develop the cultivation and scutch- j ing of flax throughout the W11-! lamette valley (western Oregon), which is 130 miles long, 60 miles wide,, and every, foot fertile and arable, p - rit.i pointed out by Mr. Rob inson in anarticle en the import ance of flax 'culture and the Tar lne of eeuiehlng ' mills to towns. that, In Belfast in 1911 there was Invested Tln the linen -H factories about 4 1 13,000.000. According to Che Utest data aecured from the department of commerce, ine un ited States receives from 47 to 51 per cent of all the manufactured linen in the United Kingdom. 'In Ireland during 1913 the acreage under flax was 64,917. Russia in U10 planted 3,216.265 acres, and was at this time produc ing-about 75 per cent of all the fibre in Europe.-But; Russia ' now Is down and out as. far as flax prdouction is concerned. The Rus sian flax is an inferior grade, and is not used for the i best linens. Ireland does not by : any " means produce 'enough flax for its fac tories. .Flax Imported JLo" 1113 in to Ireland was 84,270 tons, valued at that time at about $21,000,000, and at ' the price now . prevailing for fibre In Oregon about $144, 000,000. In If 12 Ireland - grew 14,413 tons of flax. In other wofdsn years, we have had enough ex perience with this crop in Oregon to know that In a normal season it is a very profitable cash crop and that it demands good farm ing. This last feature is of con siderable Importance to western Oregon because the lack of good farming has accounted for most of our agricultural troubles up to this time. We believe that the time is not far distant when sev eral nundred thousand acres of this flax will be grown in western Oregon, with many small cooner aure nax mills located through out me Willamette vallev. To reach this desirable situation we have to master many objection able conditions that now exist. 1 Orarse of Action "1. We must build Un nnr anil to a high state of - fertility and maintain them in that condition, "2. The question of weed' cea trol must be mastered, partlcular- sixm or tne fibre consumed In the factories. Nearly all the flax - in Ireland is grown In Ulster. it is -producing only about one- lx Jjand Here "According to soil TnM, there are more than 100,000 acres of land in the Willamette valley that are adapteable to flax grow ing, so we have vast possibilities for the raw material. We hare proved beyond all doubt that we can raise a superior srrade of flax. It is a profitable crop to the farmer; the most profitable of all non-eultlvated crops. Flax does not deteriorate the land: ft is a good rotative crop. We have a uumoer or instances of from $50 to $80 and more per acre net. We also have. In Oregon, a depend. awe and amply supply of . fihr from. the state scutchlnr .slant. which is being excellently man. aged. I am Informed that fibre is oemg shipped to Belfast at a good price and profit. "Dealing with the tariff on linen goods Imported In to the Unit ed States, Mr. Robinson says it ranges from 85to'IO per - cent; giving the local manufacturers ' a margin of $11,577,500, or, about 47 per cent. This does not. take iransponaiion cnargea into ac count. ti ' tn. . . f the freight to. Oreenn. 1 "The operation of thft tsLX rn' lave now become so large, and a these machines can now be oper ated much . cheaper and more ef ficiently than . in years past, the board of control have decided tn fsell the flax pullers to our flax growers at less than half the or iginal cost of these machines and accept flax in payment of them These machines will be sold as follows: "The first machines will be thor. oughly overhauled and recondi tioned and sold at $1,000 each. The 1928 and the 1929 models are to be sold at $1250 each. The 1929 models have no engines on them. They are operated from a power take-off on the tractor and this model operated very success fully this past harvest. "It "has been suggested that one grower or a group of eight to 12 growers may purchase a machine. We are. willing. to consider either proposition.' - Unit Plan Adopted "We desire and expect to let ail future flax contracts in units that is to. say. a number of farmers located within an area of i . . . , ... , -r dent cultivation to destroy the fir re ClnA nr all nT fhPA Tarm-i"vvu v" MID OCTOBER BEST Fill SEEDING TIME . ' iThemost faverable period to plant tall'gTain is usually be tween. jOc to ber 10-20 in Oregon, finds the O. A. C. experiment sta tion. Op land that is planted much before this date there is of ten little opportunity for snffi- fall sown wheat is treated for smut with copper carbonate after it is cleaned and freed from smut balls. Oats and barley are treatee hwith liquid formaldehyde. Grair so treated is planted as soon a: the grain is dry in order to pre vent killing a certain amount ol the seed. ers comprising that unit could purchase a flax pulling machine from us. The Idea of letting out flax contracts by units is to avoid having to move the flax pulling machines by motor truck from farm to farm, which ' we have found very costly In every way. "The state is going to stock and furnish all spare parts required for the flax pullers and also would consider servicing them for the first year, by our experienced me-. chanics, at reasonable cost," The main advantage in delaying seeding an early plow ed land lies in the opportunity for weed destruction. When planting is delayed until after November 1, unfavorable weather may prevent the plants from becoming well es tablished In the fall, and this will reduce yields the following year. Growers get best results when progressive farmers are now cleaning out surplus runs and out let ditches and connecting these with "dead" furrows to provide surface drainage before the heavy rains come. Recent rains have provided a good moisture condi tion in most Oregon soils for plowing. The fall seed beds need not be worked down line, as a moderate proportion of the small lumps tends to prevent the sur face from "puddling" or running together, says the O. A. C. experi uent station. A cover of winter crop is desir able for planting on ground on which potatoes or other row crops are harvested. Clean cultivated lan dis subject to leaehing or loss of plant nutrients. A good cover crop such as vetch will help pre vent this. Winter crops of west ern Oregon usually' yield best on soils which have fair to good drainage. Vetch can be broadcast by hand, after the potato harvest, if rains prevent the use of a seed ing machine. O. A. C. Cracks in slate, soapstone. or ce ment laundry tubs can be made water-tight with litharp-ft anH chines cost $2260 plus the cost of glycerin, mixed and stirred to m a smothf (heavy paste which mid be wrcttedf:h& the cracks Wth a casettfifejrA paste of Portland cement and water, or the whke of an egg and fresh lump lime, also' can be used suc cessfully for this purpose. The new practice of putting a high finish on grass-fat cattle by feeding them a supplement to grass is increasing rapidly in cer tain sections of the middle west and the Appalachian regions. The supplements usually are corn and cottonseed cake or meal. Our Flax Industry THE dreams of the dreamers of .a great flax and linen in ?liaTvVT iw Avawsm A ' A m . -7- uo" j " vxcjswii are turning true me iounoations are iirmer ana ine nope or realization clearer than at any time Dime mcy were -ursi sensea, over a nail century ago. Why? Because all experts now know definitpiv thaf Mn produce here as fine a fiber as the best in the world ; because '-'"V" " HUi- Jarfl i"ier in quality tnan can be had else where in anyjaarket; because the state flax industry, upon which all substantial nrofirress has hmn huiif horo ; a lmtely on a paying basis, and set for growth from 370 acres v ire t,wv acres mis vear. m a.tiMi arm a nf fio next year;juod 10.000 acrea within thx . ij- re 14 w, u" l"e Dasi 01 j. w. a. pedigreed ocw, jrieiuuij? inree w iour times iopaer per acre tonnages and a still larger proportion of line fiber Set to four tons or over of straw to the acre, and 1,000 pounds or over of fiber? against around 260 pounds an acr of cotton fiber to the acre. . These things are epochal; the larger production of fiber to the acre will make linen manufactures "price sellers." VU7.WUI uc cneaper man cotton, and four to ten times as good in quality, in wearability and durability We are-definitely set' towards the realisation 1ier of a fetm, ?dU empl0yin dtly ind2 rectly a milhon people. How soon? It. may become very soon. We are inaking for more progress each year now in all the years of the past. j Ul a Ready to ire '5 iu- S . If i. i liiiviiiifofe C3 Our fleet of trucks are at your service. If you want moving or hauling work done careful ly and quickly " Just Call )$ r Fuel for Fall! WE HANDLE FUEL and DIESEL OH FOR FURNACES Also Gas & Diamond Briquets Larmer Transfer Co. Officv'43 S. Liberty Warehouse 889 N. liberty GIDEON STOLZ CO. Ifaavtactnrers of Vtmegar, Sod Water, Fountaia Supplies Salem Phone SO Ore. Everything in Building Materials Cobbs & Mitchell A. B. Kelsay, Slaaager 89 8. 12th SC. rhoae 81S 1 Dates of Slogans in Oregon Statesman Wlth a few possible changes) loganberries, October 7, 1928. Prunes, October 14. : Dairying. October 21. iTlax, October 28. Filberts. November 4. jjWalnuts, November 11. . Strawberries, November 18. v , Apples, Figs, etc, Nov. 25. l.Raspberries, December 2. ; Mint, December 9. 0eans, etc., December 1 8. Blackberries, December 23. . ; Cherries, December SO. tiPears, January f, 1929. Gooseberries, January 13.' porn, January 20. !: Celery. January 27. liSpinach, etc., February JS. ,iTjnlons, etc., February 10. Fotatoes, etc.. FebruanMl7. ';Bees, February 24. fPoultry and Pet Stock. Mar. 3.. .'City Beautiful, etc., March 10. iUreat Cows, March 17. -Paved Highways, March 24. , Head Lettuce, March 31. !SUos,.etc, April 7. i Legumes. April 14. Asparagus, etc., April 21 " Grapes, etc., April 28. Drug Garden, May 6. Sugar Industry, May 12. Water Powers, May 19. Irrigation, May 26. . Mining, June 2. Land, Irrigation, etc., Jane t. Floriculture, Jane 18. Hops, Cabbage, etc. Jane 23. Wholesaling, Jobbing, Jane 30. Cucumbers, etc, July 7.. Hogs, July 14. , . . Goats. July 21. - - - i Schools,. July 28. Sheep. August 4. , Seeds, August 11. . National Advertising, Aug. 18. Livestock, August 25. Grain A Grain Products, Sept. 1 . Manufacturing, Sept. 8. - Woorworking, etc., Sept. 15. ' Automotive Industries Sept. 22. Paper Mills. Sept. 29. , - (Back copies of the Sunday edition of The Dally Oregon Statesman are ' on hand. They are for sale at 10 cents each, mailed to any address. ' , Current topics, B cents. ".. Custom Sawing Soft ud Hard Wood SALEM WOOD MANUFACTURING CO. 754 Blver Street Betwieem Froeit snd Corat , ca wax MOMtTMairtlrWaiui 0 fmikUB U ( MJua Wirt tis , etn Antiques & Cabinet Work Genuine Antiques or Copies a Specialty. "If we cant buy the antique you want, we can, copy it' . : .... j VKXT- ANTIQUE SHOP ' Phone 1476J. 2840 State St. BRING IN I YOUR NEW WHEAT And exchange it for hard wheat patent flour, or any of our long list of milling specialties. We do custom grinding. We sup ply what you .need for what you have. , j CHERRY CITY MTLLOO CO. . - Salem, Oregon. . 481 Trade St. j Phone 818 Qmmm MA v. ''".""'. SEE- THEO. M. BARR - Phone 192 W. W. ROSKBRAUGH COMPANT arm Air Furnaces", Fruit Dry ing .Stoves, Smoke Stacks.' Tanks, 8teel and Foundry Work, Welding a Specialty. 17th A Oak Sts. . Salem, Ore. Oak land vi? o n tt I a c -; i . ' . - Sales and Sertice -- j VICK BROS. - High Street at Trade BamMBmnmsMBWBneeeeeeeeUBBBmuuuuuueuueuueuBau fCBgggsjjy8MsBsmiijM inn iw:.;.. . :iwtwnr f; a in t Oregon Pulp & Paper Co. Mm of act arer of BOND LEDGER GLASS INE GREASEPROOF TISSUE . . , ...... Support Oregon Products Specify "Salem Made" Paper for Your j Office Stationery It's not a Question of who vffl be Our Next Kt3sident Capitol Eargciin and Junk House 105-145 Center Tel. 398 ' t All Kinds of Junk $ Bought and Sold 1 Anything from aNecdle , , - to a Steam Elngae " : ' ' CASH PAID FOR RAGS, BOTTLES, BARRELS, OLD PAPER, CARPETS, IRON, WOOL, PELTS, GRAPE . ROOT, CHITTAM BARK, PEPPERMINT OIL, ETC, That concerns us just now. tires. With us its service to -your Seiberlingr Tires are protected against all road hazzards for a year. New treads will also protect you against skid ding on wet pavement. If your tires are old and slick bet ter see us at once, "r -2 V $ -' ' i t ..... i - . . -- - - .. . A. . HIE slip 198 S. CommercialAcross from Marion Hotel on Ferry