FLAXSEED, the seed of the flax plant (linum) largely used for domestic and medicinal purposes, produced in large quantities in the south of Europe, Egypt, parts of Asia and in the United States. (For a detailed description of the plant see and for its commercial qualities other than seed, see FIBRE and LINES). The seeds of flax are dark brown, glossy, oval oblong, flattened, with acute edges and pointed at one end. The seed is rich in an oil of such superior drying qualities as render it an indis pensable ingredient in paint and varnish, and in the manufacture of linoleum, oilcloth, printer's ink, patent leather and other products and man ufactures. The cultivation of the plant for fibre requires harvesting before the seed is fully ripe, which impairs the quality and reduces the quan tity of the crop of flaxseed. The cultivation of flax for the seed requires a seeding of two or three pecks to the acre, and while it yields an increase of seed, the fibre straw is coarser; hence flax must be raised exclusively either for fibre or for seed. European countries cultivate flax for fibre, while the United States, Argentina and British India produce the world's commercial crop of flaxseed.
Introduction in America.— Flax for fibre was introduced in the United States soon after the landing at Plymouth. The seed for which there was obviously a limited domestic demand, gradually developed as an article of commerce. So long ago as 1791 the exports of flaxseed from the United States amounted to 292,460 bushels. In the same year began the manufacture of lin seed oil in this country. In 1810 there were 283 linseed oil mills located in 14 States, 171 mills being in the State of Pennsylvania. The total annual output of these mills amounted to 770,583 gallons, representing 300,000 bushels of seed. In 1839 the first cargo of flaxseed ever brought into the United States was imported front Russia, and a few years later ships carrying ice to India brought flaxseed on the return voyages. From
1850 to 1870 India shipped a larger quantity of flaxseed to the United States than was produced in this country. From 1850 to 1860 half the entire crop here was grown in Ohio and Ken tucky. The linseed oil mills divided or arranged themselves about 1891 into two groups, eastern and western. The former utilized the India imports of seed, while the western mills used the home product. In 1892 the United States took rank among the surplus flax-producing nations of the world and became an exporter of im portance. In 1894 a short crop necessitated the import of 4,000,000 bushels. After that the crop increased, but recent years show a reduced acreage and production. The acreage and pro duction of flaxseed in the United States fell off greatly after 1914, due to giving the soil to more favored crops. As a result importation in creased, being in 1917 12,394,000 bushels valued at $25,150,000.
The Western Crop.— The flaxseed industry has migrated from its original western home in Ohio and Kentucky, until its present area in cludes North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Iowa and Wisconsin (known as the northwestern crop), and in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Indian Territory (known as the southwestern crop). Up to 1869, Ohio was the leading producing State. In 1879 Illinois produced the largest crop, 1,812,438 bushels. In 1889 North Dakota took the lead with a production of 7,776,610 bushels, and in 1902, out of a total record production in the United States of 29,284,880 bushels North Da kota produced 55 per cent or 15,552,000 bushels. In 1915 its acreage was over one-third of the total United States, and Minnesota's about one sixth, Montana and South Dakota being the other large producing States. There are two varieties of seed produced in the West. The small-grained seed of the Southwest yields an average of 17 pounds of oil to the bushel, while the larger-grained seed of the Northwest yields 20 pounds of oil to the bushel (56 pounds).