Hazel Fisher, age 12, of Austin, Tex., for her question:
HOW IS FLAX USED?
Flax is one of the world's oldest agricultural crops. It is raised for its fiber and seeds. There are about 100 species of flax, and they grow mainly in temperate and subtropical climates.
The fiber of flax can be spun and woven into a range of goods, from linen and coarse rope to delicate laces. The seeds contain linseed oil, which is used in manufacturing paints, varnishes, linoleum and oilcloth. A meal made from the seeds after the oil has been pressed out provides feed for farm animals.
The ancient Egyptians wove flax into linen more than 5,000 centuries ago. Egyptian mummies have been found wrapped in linen cloth as fine as that produced today.
The ancient Greeks wore linen clothing, and the Romans made linen paper as well as cloth.
Early American settlers often planted seed flax as their first crop as they moved west. But the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793 made cotton yarn more economical than linen yarn. For this reason, the United States never produced large amounts of fiber flax.
But flax grown for seed is an important crop in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota. It is also grown extensively in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Seed flax can be reaped and thrashed with the same machines farmers use to harvest grain crops like wheat. The seeds are then shipped to mills for processing into linseed oil and meal.
Much of the flax straw left in the field after harvesting is made into high strength specialty paper. This paper is often used for Bibles, certificates and diplomas. Paper mills also make much of the cigarette paper used in the U.S. from flaxseed plants.
In recent years, the flaxseed acreage has declined as a result of the increasing popularity of latex paints over oil based paints.
Today Canada is the world's leading flaxseed producer, followed by Russia, India, the United States and Argentina. Leading fiber flax producers are Russia, Poland, France, Romania and Czechoslovakia.
Before flax can be processed for its fiber, the seeds must be removed. This is usually done by a process called rippling during which the plants are pulled through coarse combs.
Flax plants are small herbs with green leaves and bright red, yellow, white or blue flowers. Many people raise them for their beauty.
Plants used for seed stand from one to four feet high and have small branching stems near the top. They usually have blue flowers, though some varieties have white or pink flowers.