The Cake and Its While really a by-product, the manufacture and sale of the cake is equal in importance to the sale of the oil, and although netting a smaller price per pound, the value has a very great influence on the course of oil prices and the policy of the business as a unit. Practically the only use for cake is as a food for livestock, principally cattle, for fattening and for results in the dairy. The actual protein in cake is about 36 per cent, of which about 85 per cent is digestible, and the nutritive value is consequently about four times that of hay, while the fat varies from 4 per cent to 8 per cent, according to the crusher. Although used extensively abroad, it is a singular fact that our farmers in the United States have little, if any, appreciation of -its value. Our own country should be the largest consumer of this most valuable by-product; actual figures, however, show that only about 20 per cent is retained for home consumption. The first cost is somewhat greater than for other food stuffs, and our farmers as a general rule lack the knowledge of its value, which comes only by experiment and valuable experi ence. The manurial value alone of linseed oil cake has been estimated at over $16 per ton, whereas the first cost is only from $18 to $25 per ton. Our farmers, it is true, are waking up to its value and more is being used in this country every year, but the bulk of our output is taken by Holland and Belgium with France third. The exportation of cake has grown with the industry and the proportion of export remains practically the same, with the exception that each year a little larger part is retained for home consumption. The total exports in 1895 were about 120,000 tons, and in 1913 about 290,000 tons. A glance at the figures will show that of the total 290,000 tons the three countries above mentioned consumed 242,000 tons, the balance being divided largely between France and Germany with 18,000 tons each, Canada and West Indies 5,000 each, and Nor way, Sweden and Denmark insignificant amounts.
Growth of the To the early settlers the flax plant was of value for the flax and not for the seed and oil. In 1719 the spin ning wheel was first introduced in New Hamp shire by the Protestant Irish who settled there, and flax was grown more abundantly. The seed was for the most part exported, a few thousand bushels being sufficient to supply the domestic demand. The first impetus to the growth of flax for linen fabrics and consequent increase in seed and oil was given in 1722, when bounties for its growth were granted. The in crease was immediate, and the plan worked so well that the bounties were continued, and in fact increased, until in 1751 we find it reported that 60 wagon loads of seed were exported at Baltimore. In 1752 a further increase was noted, 10,000 hogsheads or 70,000 bushels of seed being exported from Philadelphia. Twenty years later, 110,000 bushels were sold abroad, and in 1791 292,000 bushels, or upwards of one half of the total crop of the United States in 1860, which was 567,000 bushels. Some idea of the rapid growth of the oil industry after the Revolution will be gained from the fact that in 1791 only 450 gallons were exported, while in 1795 nearly 50,000 gallons were sent abroad, an amount which was not again equaled until 60 years later. In 1792 the invention of the cotton gin placed a severe check on the growth of flax for the fibre, cheapening as it did cotton and cotton fabric. Undoubtedly at this time closer attention was paid to the flax seed for its oil bearing seed; the business was a profitable one, as had been shown by the small export business done. From 1795 the export steadily decreased, showing ever-increasing home consumption, and in fact considerable quantities were now being imported. From about 80,000 gallons in 1825, the imports increased to 3,200,000 gallons in 1867. Immediately after this, however, the im ports dropped to an insignificant quantity, and have continued so to this day, a certain quantity of Calcutta oil only being imported each year at high prices, for special uses, it being a well known fact that the finest oil in the world is made from East Indian seed. In 1839 the first cargo of flax seed was imported, and importa tions have increased to the figure of 10,666,215 bushels for 1916—most of which came from Argentina. From 1880, when the crop grown
in this country aggregated some 7,000,000 bushels, the crop increased to at least 30,000,000 bushels in 1903. The average for recent years has been about 15,000,000 bushels each year. The production of flax seed in the United States in 1916 amounted to 15,459,000 bushels. Of this total North Dakota produced 8,137,000 bushels; Montana, 3,088,000 bushels; Minnesota, 2,338,000 bushels, and South Dakota, 1,395,000 bushels. Iowa and Kansas each produced about 150,000 bushels. The total value of the crop, as estimated at the price ruling on 1 Oct. 1916, was $38,350,000. The average consump tion amounted to 8,000,000 to 10,000,000 bushels of seed up to about the year 1892. From that time the statistics show a steady increase in the consumption, until about the year 1916 the amount crushed was a little over 26,000,000 bushels, yielding about 25,000,000 gallons of oil.
Price of Seed.— While at times the fluctua tion of seed prices has been caused by specula tion and manipulation, the law of supply and demand has generally fixed the value. In 1885 Cincinnati was the principal centre for the sale of the seed. From about 1870 Chicago became the great market, its location being more cen tral. Ten years later, however, Chicago lost its prestige, and Duluth became practically the only market. Since then Minneapolis has divided the honor with Duluth. The highest price ob tained for flaxseed in modern times was in 1862, when sales were made on a basis of $3.25 per bushel. From 1862 to 1874 seed never sold under $2 per bushel but averaged about $2.50; after 1874, however, prices steadily declined until 1886, when $1.03 was reached. The low est price ever obtained was in 1897, when seed went to about 63 cents. The greatest fluctu ation was in 1862, seed going from $125 to $325. The average farm value of flaxseed for 1916 was $1.99 per bushel, and on 1 May 1917 the price reached $3 per bushel. In earlier times, almost all the seed was grown in the Eastern States; large amounts were grown in New whereas now scarcely any is grown there. Ohio long held a good share of the crop; from Ohio it traveled to Indiana and Illi nois; then to Kansas and Iowa; and from there to Minnesota and Dakota, and finally, in the last few years, almost the entire crop has been grown in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minne sota and Montana. The historical records fur nish us with very meagre data as regards the number of mills in operation at different periods. In 1810, the census tells us there were 383 mills in 14 States, 171 in Pennsylvania alone. These mills were small affairs, but the number is con clusive of the large interest taken in this indus try. These mills made 770,000 gallons of oil, valued at about $900,000. In 1860 there were 94 mills, turning out nearly $6,000,000 worth of oil and cake; in 1870 the number of mills was reduced to 85, but the value of the products had increased to $9,000,000 worth of oil and cake, and in 1880, 81 mills produced $15,400,000 worth of products. The number.of mills was still further reduced in 1890 to 62, making $23,500,000 worth of oil and cake, and in 1900 48 mills were producing a value of nearly $30,000,000. The steady decrease in the number of plants in operation is due to the inability of plants with old-fashioned machinery to work on the lowest basis of cost manufacture.
According to the 1914 census of manufac tures there were in that year in the United States 25 linseed oil mills of factory grade, em ploying 1,488 wage earners receiving annually a total of $1,127,000 in wages. The capital in vested amounted to $39,873,000, and the value of the year's output was $44,882,000: of this, $5,327,000 was the value added by manufacture. The yield of linseed oil was 24,481,623 gallons. More of the crushing is done at Minneapolis and Saint Paul than at any other locality in the United States, though there are important mills also at Chicago, Cleveland, Toledo, Buf falo, New York and Philadelphia. Exports for the calendar year 1916 amounted to 824,052 gal lons of oil and 667,645,566 pounds of oil cake. Consult Ennis, W. D.. (Linseed Oil and Other Oils' (New York 1909) ; United States Depart ment of Agriculture, Bulletin 785' (Washington 1916).