THE LINSEED COMPANY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1157, 6 October 1883, Page 3

THE LINSEED COMPANY.

The following is the balance of the report of the above Cmpany’s last meeting held over from our last :—After a long discussion of no public interest, it was decided to call in Mr Davis, who had offered to give information on the subject. Mr Davis, on being introduced, submitted the following facts : This plant requires a greater amount of labor than the general run of the crops grown by the farmer. It is necessary to work on a system that combines the different processes of preparing the fibre as a marketable product, and reduces labor. The hands employed when accustomed to the working get over a greater quantity in a given time and the work is better ; thus reducing the cost of labor and otherwise preparing the fibre for local use. A site of from 5 to 10 acres with a running stream of water is necessary on which to erect the buildings for the machinery and get retting dams for steeping the straw, etc., etc. The following is the machinery’s cost price : £ s. d. One scutching mill, of six stocks ... ... ... 48 15 0 One set of patent crushing rollers 45 0 0

The Company purchase the green straw from the farmer at per ton delivered at the Company’s works, where the straw would be prepared as well as seed, and the whole of the operations carried through on a proper In the Old Country farmers have been accustomed to the working of this crop, here it is different, therefore men and boya accustomed to the work are to be preferred and would cheapen labor, etc. Let us suppose that the acreage under edrn this coming season is 700,000, and assuming one-third is tied with wire, we would still require 416 tons of twine, allowing 21bs per acre. This at Is 9d per lb would jbe L 34.844. It would require 1,250 acres to produce this 416 tons pf fibre,and would realise the gross amount per acre for fibre manufactured in twine and seed L 33. Allow the farmers on 1250 acres LlO per acre, L 12.000, andit leaves a balance to the manufacturers for labor and capital expended on fibre the sum of L 22,344. The seed of the above number of acres at 20 bushels to the acre at 6s per bushel, L 7500. Total for twine and seed, L 42,344, gross. To prepare this quantity of fibre and spin it into twine it would require the following machinery :—Two-12 stock mills, and two pairs of patent bruising rollers, which would prepare eight tons of fibre per week, and two jennies or mules of 12 spindles each with carding machine, for the twine. The number of hands employed in working the above machinery would be as follows

£ s d 38 men, nt 8a per diem, or £2 8s per week ~, 67 4 0 20 boys, at 4s per diem, or £1 4s per week ... 24 0 0 Total for one week £9l 4 0 l£ s d I 52 weeks labor at £9l 4s per week 4742 8 0 Cost of labor for rippling, seed, ictting, spreading, lifting and stacking straw at £2 5s 6d per a. 2835 0 0 To the farmer, 1250 acres at £lO per acre 12500 0 0 Total £20077 0 0 £ s d Gross result of Twine and Seed £42344 0 0 Cost of labor, growing, etc. £20077 0 0 Balance to profit £22266 12 0

At the conclusion, the directors thanked Mr Davis for (he valuable information he had given them, and the meeting then adjourned. Mr Davis has since handed in the following paper on flax retting:— To successfully carry through the rotting process regular heat of the water is required, as a rapid change from heat to cold will check the proc°ss and materially injure the fibre. December,

January and February urn less subject to atmospheric changes th.m the others months, and are the best for retting. In New Zealand the process is rapid,as the water stands at a higher temperature than in the Old Country and the process requires great care as well as practical knowledge, as a few hours would materially injure the fibre. From experience here I find the time it is necessary to keep the flax in the water varies from 115 to 130 hours, and in the North of Ireland about an average of 13 days and nights. After pulling the straw and stocking it with the seed pods up, four or five days will be sufficient to dry the pods fit to be taken off the straw ; then steep in the dams. When taken out of the dams spread on the grass to dry. The less the straw is exposed to the sun’s rays the butter, as it extracts a portion of the oily or silky nature from the fibre, which injures the quality and leaves the fibre harsh and brittle, and consequently reduces the price. From those causes principally is the difference of the range of prices paid when dressed, ranging from LSO to Ll4O per ton. Care is required and practical knowledge necessary, with a regular system in combining the various operations the fibre undergoes in preparation for the spinner. The hands employed get accustomed to their work, and the more perfectly a community furnish the raw products of its soil, so as to fit them for consumption, the larger will be the quantity of physical and mental power productively employed, and the larger will be the proportion of that increased quantity given to the work of augmenting the pioduce demanding to be furnished. The labor given to the work of conversion is all of it economiesd ; now only so, but the relief thus obtained from transportation enables the cultivator so to vary his demands upon the soil as largely to increase his crops. Food therefore becomes more abundant as, the farmer and the artisan are more and more enabled to take their places by each other’s side. Russia exports annually flax fibre to the amount of 33.000. and in seed £900,1i00, and the total required for their own consumption is L5,000,C00 which gives 550.000. yards, or nine yards per head of the population. /

One jenny, or mill of ten spindles, with carding 150 0 machine for twine 0 One Ripnling Machine, for 0 taking off seed 100 0 One 8-horae power engine ... 150 0 0 Building, etc 150 0 0 Add ten per cant 64 10 0 Total £70S 5 0