The Seaforth News, 1940-12-26, Page 7THUIRS,DIAY, DECEMBER 26. 1940
THE SEAT OR,TH NEWS
PAGE SEViElei
FLAX.
,13y (John Rdb'ita1lle in the
Oval.
Open an encyclopedia at the word
"flax," and you will .learn t1 at "the
most ;useful of all plants not (bearing
Mood" was grown 15.000 years ago nn
'Mesopotamia, Assyria and Egypt,
and even in chat •distant age they
made +t into a ol'oth of high repute.
The Bi'b'le tell us that ,Pharoa'h ar-
rayed 'Joseph "in 'vesture:: of fine lin-
en." You will find out, too, that now-
adays most of the w•srld's flax k
grown in Europe, amid that The long-
est linen mills are to be 'found in Ire-
land. The encyclopedia will describe
the important }part that flax plays in
modern industry, 'but it will not te41
you the significant fart that the war
has closed to the Empire several
sources of raw material, and, more-
over 'that the ancient Province of
Qatelbec is on the way to 'becoming a
constant snootier to the great mills of
Ireland.
Quebec, in fact. k to the present
tnnntent 'tlie most important centre of
the culture of (fibre flax in Canada
So sudden is this •develnlmnent that
one could almost ti,ehe.ee 0 'tragic
wand had. been waved'. On land
where. until lately, only entail q,nanti-
tie, of this crop had been grown ;for
the sake of seed, this autumn 'there
are acres and acre, of fibre flax of
the highest grade. In 'le-, than a
yew' an inthwtry has started up: co-
operatives have ,been founded, mach -
BUS TIME TABLE
Summer Time Table
Leaves Seaforth for Stratford:
Daily sae a.m. and s,is p.m,
Leaves Seaforth for Coder)ch:
P::ily except Sunday and holt. LOS p•tn,
and 7.40 p.m.
r. and hal.. 3,00 p.m. mid 0.211 p.m,
nt•cttas At Stratford for 'Toronto,
IL.milton, Buffalo, London, Detroit,
Tavistock, Woodstock, Brantford
Agents: Queen's. Commercial, Dick liooae.
D. H. McINNES
CHIROPRACTOR
Office — Commercial Hotel
Electro Therapist — Massage
Hours—Mon, and Thurs, after-
noons and by appointment.
FOOT CORRECTION
by manipulation—Sun-ray
treatment.
Phone 227.
Ines necessary eo modern 'flax culti-
vation 'have ,been purchased, and
three treating }oils have already
been constructed. The achievement
is eertainly worthy of praise, especi-
ally ,considering the great importance
flax acgnires in 'time of war. This
importance is shown by Me ,fact that
the -government took over the eon-
trol of the iu'dustry in the United
Kingdom the nt•onten't ;war Ibrtnke out;
for the ariry cannot do without it;
the navy and airforce need it; and
linen is even used in civilian •defence.
ID seems natural that the oldest
,province in Canada, the province of
the spinning wheel and hand loom,
shouldbe the scene of such a revival,
For the pioneers of tide continent cul-
tivated '!lax Inc linen, and the industry
would probably never have 'died out
of King (Cotton had not extended his
empire into this country. Now ,flax is
once mors' conning into its own, as it
ban ibernnle essential where cotton
could never be used. Since it re-
quires certain definite conditions for
it; eu'eture. there are only limited re-
gions where fllhe ,fibre variety will
flourish, though for seed it 1; culti-
vated in .hide areas. .\pari front cer-
tain rcgiooe in the south of Ontario
and utt the I'anilin coast. there are
only four or fire districts in Quebec
where the ;oil ie rich and the rainfall
heavy enough. \s we shall anon ser,
Quebec has taken all imeeilyle meas-
ure; to assitre sucte<, iq her new
,t votive.
To- understand the sudden ri;c of
flax in the eradie of New France it is
well 10 (know certain facts, The de-
velopfueut of the tttadern tltte indus-
try date: from the intention of the
uushanical loom in France. about
1}410. Russia was the first to organ-
ize it on a large scale, ata} today,
with Iter 4,0ll0,000 acres tinder flax,
elle sti'l'l holds the first aposition a-
mmo: the countries producing fibre.
rite ether bra producers are Poland,
Lithuania, Latvia , Entltunia, tier-
mrtv, t_'zcrh.taorakia, Belgium,
Croute and Ireland. For obvious
roa•ens, moat of these countries are
no longer in a position to expert their
'lax to Ireland, and 12ussie herself
treats :tel nutnufaelurie most of the
flax 'which she pr)duces,
:\- wee to be expected, the war lots
caused the price of this commodity to
'hr abort„t doubled, and it, culture
soli' Gives return; that compare i311-
oura(Itly with 1110,e of tahai•cu, chic-
ory. hope, ,n' any ether }•rep of indite -
trial Milton:owe. .O (Med to this there
•it• .fact that competition is .praeti-
ealty non-existent, at any tate for the
,hiratinn ,,: the '.tar, iu t )urbee's
THE WORLD'S GOOD NEWS ®
willS to your home ever clay throe:ell t+
( Y
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prosperous farming districts, there-
fore, llax is replacing 'Iraq bo Some ex-
tent, the ,value of which has depreci-
ated during the .past decade:
Quick and satisfactory as the res-
ults have so far been, they have not
come all>aut without an enormous a-
mount of work, thorough organiza-
tion, and unfailing enthusiasfn, lust
think of it—the enterprise was set on
its feet in less than a yearn In the. St.
Maurice, 1Mastkinonge and 'Chateau -
gee y counties,
Chateaugeeycounties, agricultural cooperat-
ive societies have been r tal>lished,
and the aid of hundreds of ,growers
enlisted. Mast of these ,fattnters knew
nothing- about 'tete cultivation of flax
and had first to Ibe instnucted, Spe-
cial machinery, on the plans of the
most modern It uropealt models,
was ;manufacttu'ed its - the Pro-
vince. Capitol- was raised, ;eery
Ibouight and •distrilbuted, and a Market
'nor the product 'gttaran'leed. Above all
it was necessary to make a success of
the venture into which so m'uc'h la-
bour and money had been pus.
1\S'i1hont the energy ant} cut erprise
of the agrot1onti.1s and technical ad-
n•!sers, the project would Bever have
,been attempted..\t 'Three Rivers. the
district agronomist Mr, 1. 13. Roy,
'trade the first inquiries and carries}
out the first ,xperintellls, with the idea
of introducing the cultivation of flax
ammo.: the growers in that art. He
'knee e list at Ue Rettnien the recently
i',talb11ate'ci flax grower's t'o-operatise,
in the counties of \'cuttireitil and Snn-
tantte,, was gradually 'beginning:; to
•}loutish. Ife was ,ent eon' tincerl
that a similar venture in his own
triet would the a sure;•,,, its lona a-
lie conic! obtain goodwill and practical
assiotance•, Ile succeeded, and at the
'beginning ,si 14(I a co-operative was
foutded at Lottiseville and another at
Vantachielie. Each member of these
societies ;purchaseel a drat' and un-
rlet't,tsak, by five-year contract. to .ow•
specified acreage with flax and to
deliver hie whole crop, both the
trails and the seed, to the society's
Flaxas Itas already 'been noted, is a
!fastidious ,plant, demanding certain
definite conditions ,for 'gr'owth. Fibre
flax, which differs somewhat from
the seed ;variety, 113: a elistinetfre
halbit of _roww't11, reaching a height of
,70 to 316 inches, and having an tin-
hr:itiched stalk that ,open, nit at the
top into a snit of 011th. threeht 'Male
ilowers, with their cttpn'les that con-
tain seed. Thw crop needs a fair am-
ount of moisture (hut not an excessive
rainfall; -anti it adapts itself to quite
a .variety of soils, though very dry
sands and heavy clay- are undesirable.
-ince they produce ,hurt, hart} fibres.
l it any case tite soil shone! 'rte rich in
Munn, aid well (provided with phus-
'Morir n'itt its well as available pu1-
1s11. Ii; i- insport%iltt also not to s,*w
ilax to often on the same ..totutd,
'et. the ;re est., up a great deal of
organic ;tatter. Reeaise the etthnett-
urnt /metonym of fibre ,flax requires
the ;talks to .he of approximately
equal lengths, the crop is 'hest grown
nu level ground.
I'lu• remark:Ol • part a•hnut this
Plant i that layntau', interest is rap-
tiveted lust at the ,tags when most
ethos cease to have 11111011 attraction
at the }terve-et: for it+ treatment at this
Ole is very different from that of any
other crop, Flax is not cut: it ie pulled
on lhy the runts. When forage and
cereal crops are harvested there is
need Inc•haste white the .good weather
lasts, and they nails' the put into the
}barn ;before a disastrous rainstorm
spoils Lire crop. Fdax,on the other hand
lies as 'long as three weeks in the field
after fleeing* pulled, and 'rain is a (prime
necessity. Then, a whole series of
mechanical operations are carried 'ant
'before the ,fibre is ready to be shipped
to Ireland.
After a 'growing period of about
three months, the flax is ready {or
pnrlling.
By uprooting instead of dot-
ting it, the !full length of the valuable
stalk is retained: and, more import-
ant. the machines, in the later stages,
can only extract the fibre properly if
the roots are still attached. In sotith-
ern 'Ontario, the pulling is done ,by
Indians 'from nearby res'e'rvations, and
the work i5 carried met by !rand. This
is an irksome and tedious business and
a skilled man anust work like a slave
to get one-third of an acre done in a
day. an 'Quebec, co-operative societies
have invested in mechanical pulling -
machines, manufactured on the model
of the most up-to-date type aged in
Belgium. Tide machine, drawn either
Iby two horses or a tractor, is tt mar-
vel in itself. The stalks are grasped
!between two belts and carried' onto a
sort Of table, from 'w'hic'h they slide to
the ground, resting there in long par-
allel rows, 'perfectly straight. Time,
'yin':: in thin 'bundles on the 'ground,
the 'flax undergoes at treatment known
as vetting. for the next two or three
weeks.
Rotting, or fermentation, can .he
carried out Iby the artificial promotion
elf 'bacterialgrowth on the stticss, or
it nvay he clone in running water, as
in France tend ,Belgium: in stagnant
\rater, as in Holland: or il) the open'
'field, as in 'Quebec. This is a most crit-
ical and important ,operation, for on it
the gtyality dF ,the ,prddiect dasgely dep-
WINTER SPORTS IN OLD-WORLD SETTING
Old Quebec City, whose four
centuries of history have
made It a favorite stopping place',
for summer tourists, has achieved
equal prestige with the winter
visitor 1n less than half a decade!
The secret of this short out to
popularity lies In the sweeping
growth of the ski habit, Quebec's
glorious winter climate, its facili-
ties for winter sports, and the
snort' -clad hills of Lac Beauport,
10 miles distant.
This year, with increased num-
bers of Canadiaus and Americans
pointing their ski tips toward
Quebec and Las Beauport, the
highlights of the Chateau Ct•on-
tenac's gay winter sports season
promise to shine mare brightly
than even', iltacdgtlitl'lPt's for the
famous Ski Hawk ibtuml and its
equally famous instructor, Fritz
i i,00sli, the popular Collodion Pa-
cifico hostelry will yearn} c t gay
programme of skating, hockey-,
curling, tobogganing, ski-joring,
elt:igh-driving, and inti -Ina on the
historic Plains of Abraham. The
'annual long Derby is scheduled for
the third week in I'etn'uat•y,
Connected by regular bus ser-
vice from tite t'batetut Prom (mac.
Lae IBeauprtrt 1s t model skI de-
oelnptnent. it possesses a hand-
some new tlinlrt, thrilling down-
hill }nus, deletti courses and
jlnnps of p; -:'.ental calibre.
Aiwa gain' t i 111, t:1111 twin
tslalotu retie i) lett lou_, 100
to :101 feet wide, and served by a,
ski -tow, is a rendez-vous for be-
ginners and exports alike, while
its neighboring Mont. Tourbillon
is reserved for the mare seasoned
ski artist. Hero is Located a pro-
fessional ski jump, a downhill ru.',B
uP 4,;00 feet and a 1,0ut1-foot sla-
lom run. Lae Beauport. Is also
homo of the scenic Sky Line Trail
Ideal weather and snow condi-
Hope
ondi}lops are the main assets of the
Lae Beauport snow -bowl. Deep,
dry powder -snow offers the most
'favorable of ski conditions
throughout the winter, snow
depths registering as much as six
feet, and providing good ski -Ing
from Deeentbel' till April and
sometimes early :\la,Y.
ends. 'I'lte fibrotts layer inside tate
stalk which 'produces the flax is just
under the cuticle, or outer'bark df the
stent, and it i, the m1.111111\- material
outside the fibrous layer that is re
-
'flayed by retti,tg. \herutte action jYi
inn and rain continue to debark this
Bard •wuo,l ,heli that ,urruunds the
cellulose fibres, and the action of
microbes separate it. {Ince the reefing
is dune, the ,flax is taken to the:trettt-
in:g mill, where highly ,ta'cialized
machines extract elle textile fibre.
Nothing could be more interesting
than a vi,it h, cue of these ;tills,
where the equipment i- ealt,'rdivari•ly
complex. .1.e first the ilex i+ gtlared itt
!he nts:d hanve ter. For filtre flex,
th n 01t it ,tr tie ee. 1, than - titer
,1.11 i,•+, 1 t- :.tire e '.,11r amount
-red that is wort!} recovering. '1`'1r
,e••,l harvester is egltipped 1A 1:1) a
kind ,t: comb which removes the cal.-
-mlc, in tt9tieh the ,sed 1+ t',ttaiir,l.
Still another ntachiti et ii.l grind tlie,e
teip,tfle, .sort! -gather tlteit' contents.
The [fibre now gee, t., ane ,e.ctehinni
utarhine, whdeli ill a +crit, of oI,Iertit •
ion, rethtuvcs thy foots and iln'esrk- the
woody shell ,rf the ,}.elk, .}heady -oft
erred in the l'ettinw. into small pie. es
without damaging tit, fin on, l:eyvr.
Niter the sout china- marhim%- the
strands Of fibre are separted Trout
the -woody material by means of a
sort of fan, and the waste material is
drawn out Iby suction and discarded.
Finally, another machine places the
,fibre in banks.of skein,, which are
then epaoked and shipped to a ware-
Innate,
'are-
Inn e, and there graded according to
.quality. This is tithe fibre that will go
into 'the great Irish stills to be ,}oven
into the fine limen that is now so val-
-wel>le to the Empire.
This treattnent also gives - tow-,
which may be of 'variable. gualrty, and
is made into a coarser textile 'fibre.
The seed of flax, or linseed its it is
called, ie. used for making Iinseetd oil,
a necessary 'ingredient of paints and
varnishes, and also as• its name implies,
'for linoleutn, 'Linseed is employed too,
by ,p'harntacists, and ,for studs feeding.
This year's seiecesse.s in the Pro -
wince of 'Quebec give ;ground' for .high
hopes. The production ai eibre flax in
Canada is destined to develop 'rapidly
and surely, and it seems probable that
in a eery few years the.establishment
of textile stills will ;fulfil the vision of
an all -(Canadian linen, 'I•nsteadt of im-.
(porting linens from abroad, Canada
wall Ihe self-sufficient, and the wholy.
country will benefit; for flax. 'with its
diversified uses, is 'beginning to make
cotton look iilke a poor • relation, le
ever these !hopes are, realized, the
:tgrontnnists, toehnician5, soil chem-
ists and ,fertilizer experts will all he
able to congratulate themselves, for
their research, counsel and' e 110111Siasnt
V, ilt have see uiplisited a truly re -
Markable 'feat.
lteanwltile, 1'atiadian 11110 iS going
}cross the sea to contribute• along
with so many of this -country's pro.
shuts, to the triumph of liberty,
•
"What's the most effective agency
for the redistribution of wealth.”
"The wives and daughter's of tris!}
men."
GERMANY SAID "IMPOSSIBLE"
But Britain Delivers the Goods—
Canada Stages New Triumph
A triumph over their German
rivals I.s announced by 131ihtin's
scientific instillment makers.
Before thewar(lmretda invited t.itr'
world to compete for a s urve•ylti
aneroid required by the Dominion's
Geographical tinrc'ey Departue'nt.
They nuked ret• an :Wentaey i,i 0.3,2
incho, of ua-rettry, 'rhe Germans said
m was impossible. 'Theo Bally ;,•fused
to
Ihituiu divided 10 tatekl til'• juh.
Twv years' special t•,•teareli 6111}•.
been put i❑ nn it and now die ul::k-
ea's sire able itt disclose the iact ,hat
tht•y hate done 1,•11 time., bract
than they were asked to do. They
have not achieved the 1.112 inrhe,• d
ae•,•ltrney but 11,in,S• ,u• one-tenth of
tin• error allowed by the peeitita•
tilos
"We host h••tv'!ly ern it said •I
menthol' of lint norm. 'int }tit ,
Sea ruli we did tis been. et blames,
value."
Today Britain's supremacy in
making scientific instruments is
drown by the world demand for
them. Among leer war time custom -
ere are Argentina. Australia. Can.
ala. New Zealand and South Africa.
When buutiters are swung aboard
ship et Motttrettl, their dashboards
carry _ among much else_- temperat-
ure indicat ors. boost gauges. hu' -1
press gauges, oil gauges. air-intake.,
thermometers and precision alto -
meters, all of tarn' matte in Groat
Britain.
The latest figure:! :are t'lntpn.•11t of
fl itain's u,•w sitpt'ttt111•y. Before ;last
tear she was expltl't1110 about ....
third Ile' 11311 til 11)' • 1 seieuNtlr• 1ut-tri:
11) 1 - rind 1,1' 11ed' ,,1.•1't 1l tilt ;'f t'; ei.i.
Intring the first hie' months
present year sho wort t t lice
than LSit;atln worth, an mane! .
crease of 41111051 tee
fit's alae 111,111th, et lan'
When a Mali leaves In wit•., s
:t M1IOOi:+trate. it's usually tit • wet:
win is to blame.
Which one?
Hospital's Capacity
For Service D emoii s -l -rated
By Extra War Burden
Health of British War
Guest Children Guarded
Without Charge
Five hundred medical examina-
tions per day! Every one to be
painstakingly thorough and unusual-
ly complete. Each child to be pro-
vided with a toll data chart and a
written recommendation as to diet
and any treatment or medicine re-
quired.
That's the job The Hospital for Sick
Children was asked to handle early
this summer!
Not since the Infantile Paralysis
epidemic of 1937 has the Hospital
been asked to rise to such an emer-
gency. Although the situation de-
veloped like a bolt from tate blue,
arrangements were quickly com-
pleted.
As we all know now, the number
of British children sent to Canada
this summer did not reach nearly
the proportions expected. Conse-
quently, the organization that had
been set up at the Hospital was not
used to the Iimit of its capacity.
Nevertheless practically every
British war guest child passing
through Toronto received a Same
plate examination with recommen-
dations as to treatment. No charge
was made for this service.
This is just another of the oc-
casions during its unusual career of
public service when the Hospital
has been fully prepared to meet an
emergency.
PARALYSIS STRIKES AGAIN
It is only a few weeks ago that
newspaper headlines startled the
people of Ontario with the an-
nouncement that six members of a
single family had been stricken with
Infantile Paralysis — the dreaded
Poliomyelitis. One member of the
family had to be taken to Toronto
in an Iron Lung—his only chance
for life. Despite the fact that a
large moving van was the only
vehicle obtainable which was suit-
able for moving the equipment with
the youngster already receiving
treatment within it, arrangements
were quickly made to bring the
patient to The Hospital for Sick
Children.
But this is just typical of the set -
vice The Hospital for Sick Children
has rendered the children of thin
Province for 65 years.
Every hour of every day and
night some emergency must be met.
The life of a child, precious to some
family, is at stake. It is only when
a number of similar cases occur a'
the same time that the work be-
comes "news," and can be called to
the attention of the public by the
press in a spectacular manner.
Nevertheless, the work goes on hour
after hour until the days and months
and years total decades et service
to the needy children of the
Province.
Every emergency situation creates
costs which mount up far beyond
the normal provisions of govern-
ment and municipal grants. But,
unlike most other hospitals, The
Hospital for Sick Children has no
large group of Private Ward beds
from which to draw extra revenue
which can be applied to Public Ward
service.
At present, 414 of the 434 beds are
in Public Wards.
No help is received from the fund
collected by the Toronto Federation
for Community Service, as patients
are taken from all over the Prov-
ince.
Sick and crippled children must
be given medical attention and hos-
pital care no matter what their cir-
cumstance, No one would deny
them this right.
This worthy Institution, which ac-
cepts its little patients regardless of
race, creed or financial circum-
stance, has just started its annual
Christmas appeal for funds to en-
able its work to be continued in
just as effective a manner as in the
past,
Those who have investigated all
agree that The Hospital for Sick
Children makes most careful use of
charitable donations and bequests—
a world-wide recognition for ef-
ficiency and economical operation,
has been earned.
Your gift should be mailed to the
Appeal Secretary, The hospital for
Sick Children, 67 College street, To-
ronto.
A chance for health and happiness
is the greatest possible Christmas
gift to children
Duplicate
Monthly
S tatements
We can save you money on Bill and
Charge 'Forms. standard sizes to fit
Ledgers, white or colors.
It will pay you to see our samples.
Also best quality Metal Hinged Sew
Botnar Post Binders and Index
The S car jr rth News
PHONE 84
prosperous farming districts, there-
fore, llax is replacing 'Iraq bo Some ex-
tent, the ,value of which has depreci-
ated during the .past decade:
Quick and satisfactory as the res-
ults have so far been, they have not
come all>aut without an enormous a-
mount of work, thorough organiza-
tion, and unfailing enthusiasfn, lust
think of it—the enterprise was set on
its feet in less than a yearn In the. St.
Maurice, 1Mastkinonge and 'Chateau -
gee y counties,
Chateaugeeycounties, agricultural cooperat-
ive societies have been r tal>lished,
and the aid of hundreds of ,growers
enlisted. Mast of these ,fattnters knew
nothing- about 'tete cultivation of flax
and had first to Ibe instnucted, Spe-
cial machinery, on the plans of the
most modern It uropealt models,
was ;manufacttu'ed its - the Pro-
vince. Capitol- was raised, ;eery
Ibouight and •distrilbuted, and a Market
'nor the product 'gttaran'leed. Above all
it was necessary to make a success of
the venture into which so m'uc'h la-
bour and money had been pus.
1\S'i1hont the energy ant} cut erprise
of the agrot1onti.1s and technical ad-
n•!sers, the project would Bever have
,been attempted..\t 'Three Rivers. the
district agronomist Mr, 1. 13. Roy,
'trade the first inquiries and carries}
out the first ,xperintellls, with the idea
of introducing the cultivation of flax
ammo.: the growers in that art. He
'knee e list at Ue Rettnien the recently
i',talb11ate'ci flax grower's t'o-operatise,
in the counties of \'cuttireitil and Snn-
tantte,, was gradually 'beginning:; to
•}loutish. Ife was ,ent eon' tincerl
that a similar venture in his own
triet would the a sure;•,,, its lona a-
lie conic! obtain goodwill and practical
assiotance•, Ile succeeded, and at the
'beginning ,si 14(I a co-operative was
foutded at Lottiseville and another at
Vantachielie. Each member of these
societies ;purchaseel a drat' and un-
rlet't,tsak, by five-year contract. to .ow•
specified acreage with flax and to
deliver hie whole crop, both the
trails and the seed, to the society's
Flaxas Itas already 'been noted, is a
!fastidious ,plant, demanding certain
definite conditions ,for 'gr'owth. Fibre
flax, which differs somewhat from
the seed ;variety, 113: a elistinetfre
halbit of _roww't11, reaching a height of
,70 to 316 inches, and having an tin-
hr:itiched stalk that ,open, nit at the
top into a snit of 011th. threeht 'Male
ilowers, with their cttpn'les that con-
tain seed. Thw crop needs a fair am-
ount of moisture (hut not an excessive
rainfall; -anti it adapts itself to quite
a .variety of soils, though very dry
sands and heavy clay- are undesirable.
-ince they produce ,hurt, hart} fibres.
l it any case tite soil shone! 'rte rich in
Munn, aid well (provided with phus-
'Morir n'itt its well as available pu1-
1s11. Ii; i- insport%iltt also not to s,*w
ilax to often on the same ..totutd,
'et. the ;re est., up a great deal of
organic ;tatter. Reeaise the etthnett-
urnt /metonym of fibre ,flax requires
the ;talks to .he of approximately
equal lengths, the crop is 'hest grown
nu level ground.
I'lu• remark:Ol • part a•hnut this
Plant i that layntau', interest is rap-
tiveted lust at the ,tags when most
ethos cease to have 11111011 attraction
at the }terve-et: for it+ treatment at this
Ole is very different from that of any
other crop, Flax is not cut: it ie pulled
on lhy the runts. When forage and
cereal crops are harvested there is
need Inc•haste white the .good weather
lasts, and they nails' the put into the
}barn ;before a disastrous rainstorm
spoils Lire crop. Fdax,on the other hand
lies as 'long as three weeks in the field
after fleeing* pulled, and 'rain is a (prime
necessity. Then, a whole series of
mechanical operations are carried 'ant
'before the ,fibre is ready to be shipped
to Ireland.
After a 'growing period of about
three months, the flax is ready {or
pnrlling.
By uprooting instead of dot-
ting it, the !full length of the valuable
stalk is retained: and, more import-
ant. the machines, in the later stages,
can only extract the fibre properly if
the roots are still attached. In sotith-
ern 'Ontario, the pulling is done ,by
Indians 'from nearby res'e'rvations, and
the work i5 carried met by !rand. This
is an irksome and tedious business and
a skilled man anust work like a slave
to get one-third of an acre done in a
day. an 'Quebec, co-operative societies
have invested in mechanical pulling -
machines, manufactured on the model
of the most up-to-date type aged in
Belgium. Tide machine, drawn either
Iby two horses or a tractor, is tt mar-
vel in itself. The stalks are grasped
!between two belts and carried' onto a
sort Of table, from 'w'hic'h they slide to
the ground, resting there in long par-
allel rows, 'perfectly straight. Time,
'yin':: in thin 'bundles on the 'ground,
the 'flax undergoes at treatment known
as vetting. for the next two or three
weeks.
Rotting, or fermentation, can .he
carried out Iby the artificial promotion
elf 'bacterialgrowth on the stticss, or
it nvay he clone in running water, as
in France tend ,Belgium: in stagnant
\rater, as in Holland: or il) the open'
'field, as in 'Quebec. This is a most crit-
ical and important ,operation, for on it
the gtyality dF ,the ,prddiect dasgely dep-
WINTER SPORTS IN OLD-WORLD SETTING
Old Quebec City, whose four
centuries of history have
made It a favorite stopping place',
for summer tourists, has achieved
equal prestige with the winter
visitor 1n less than half a decade!
The secret of this short out to
popularity lies In the sweeping
growth of the ski habit, Quebec's
glorious winter climate, its facili-
ties for winter sports, and the
snort' -clad hills of Lac Beauport,
10 miles distant.
This year, with increased num-
bers of Canadiaus and Americans
pointing their ski tips toward
Quebec and Las Beauport, the
highlights of the Chateau Ct•on-
tenac's gay winter sports season
promise to shine mare brightly
than even', iltacdgtlitl'lPt's for the
famous Ski Hawk ibtuml and its
equally famous instructor, Fritz
i i,00sli, the popular Collodion Pa-
cifico hostelry will yearn} c t gay
programme of skating, hockey-,
curling, tobogganing, ski-joring,
elt:igh-driving, and inti -Ina on the
historic Plains of Abraham. The
'annual long Derby is scheduled for
the third week in I'etn'uat•y,
Connected by regular bus ser-
vice from tite t'batetut Prom (mac.
Lae IBeauprtrt 1s t model skI de-
oelnptnent. it possesses a hand-
some new tlinlrt, thrilling down-
hill }nus, deletti courses and
jlnnps of p; -:'.ental calibre.
Aiwa gain' t i 111, t:1111 twin
tslalotu retie i) lett lou_, 100
to :101 feet wide, and served by a,
ski -tow, is a rendez-vous for be-
ginners and exports alike, while
its neighboring Mont. Tourbillon
is reserved for the mare seasoned
ski artist. Hero is Located a pro-
fessional ski jump, a downhill ru.',B
uP 4,;00 feet and a 1,0ut1-foot sla-
lom run. Lae Beauport. Is also
homo of the scenic Sky Line Trail
Ideal weather and snow condi-
Hope
ondi}lops are the main assets of the
Lae Beauport snow -bowl. Deep,
dry powder -snow offers the most
'favorable of ski conditions
throughout the winter, snow
depths registering as much as six
feet, and providing good ski -Ing
from Deeentbel' till April and
sometimes early :\la,Y.
ends. 'I'lte fibrotts layer inside tate
stalk which 'produces the flax is just
under the cuticle, or outer'bark df the
stent, and it i, the m1.111111\- material
outside the fibrous layer that is re
-
'flayed by retti,tg. \herutte action jYi
inn and rain continue to debark this
Bard •wuo,l ,heli that ,urruunds the
cellulose fibres, and the action of
microbes separate it. {Ince the reefing
is dune, the ,flax is taken to the:trettt-
in:g mill, where highly ,ta'cialized
machines extract elle textile fibre.
Nothing could be more interesting
than a vi,it h, cue of these ;tills,
where the equipment i- ealt,'rdivari•ly
complex. .1.e first the ilex i+ gtlared itt
!he nts:d hanve ter. For filtre flex,
th n 01t it ,tr tie ee. 1, than - titer
,1.11 i,•+, 1 t- :.tire e '.,11r amount
-red that is wort!} recovering. '1`'1r
,e••,l harvester is egltipped 1A 1:1) a
kind ,t: comb which removes the cal.-
-mlc, in tt9tieh the ,sed 1+ t',ttaiir,l.
Still another ntachiti et ii.l grind tlie,e
teip,tfle, .sort! -gather tlteit' contents.
The [fibre now gee, t., ane ,e.ctehinni
utarhine, whdeli ill a +crit, of oI,Iertit •
ion, rethtuvcs thy foots and iln'esrk- the
woody shell ,rf the ,}.elk, .}heady -oft
erred in the l'ettinw. into small pie. es
without damaging tit, fin on, l:eyvr.
Niter the sout china- marhim%- the
strands Of fibre are separted Trout
the -woody material by means of a
sort of fan, and the waste material is
drawn out Iby suction and discarded.
Finally, another machine places the
,fibre in banks.of skein,, which are
then epaoked and shipped to a ware-
Innate,
'are-
Inn e, and there graded according to
.quality. This is tithe fibre that will go
into 'the great Irish stills to be ,}oven
into the fine limen that is now so val-
-wel>le to the Empire.
This treattnent also gives - tow-,
which may be of 'variable. gualrty, and
is made into a coarser textile 'fibre.
The seed of flax, or linseed its it is
called, ie. used for making Iinseetd oil,
a necessary 'ingredient of paints and
varnishes, and also as• its name implies,
'for linoleutn, 'Linseed is employed too,
by ,p'harntacists, and ,for studs feeding.
This year's seiecesse.s in the Pro -
wince of 'Quebec give ;ground' for .high
hopes. The production ai eibre flax in
Canada is destined to develop 'rapidly
and surely, and it seems probable that
in a eery few years the.establishment
of textile stills will ;fulfil the vision of
an all -(Canadian linen, 'I•nsteadt of im-.
(porting linens from abroad, Canada
wall Ihe self-sufficient, and the wholy.
country will benefit; for flax. 'with its
diversified uses, is 'beginning to make
cotton look iilke a poor • relation, le
ever these !hopes are, realized, the
:tgrontnnists, toehnician5, soil chem-
ists and ,fertilizer experts will all he
able to congratulate themselves, for
their research, counsel and' e 110111Siasnt
V, ilt have see uiplisited a truly re -
Markable 'feat.
lteanwltile, 1'atiadian 11110 iS going
}cross the sea to contribute• along
with so many of this -country's pro.
shuts, to the triumph of liberty,
•
"What's the most effective agency
for the redistribution of wealth.”
"The wives and daughter's of tris!}
men."
GERMANY SAID "IMPOSSIBLE"
But Britain Delivers the Goods—
Canada Stages New Triumph
A triumph over their German
rivals I.s announced by 131ihtin's
scientific instillment makers.
Before thewar(lmretda invited t.itr'
world to compete for a s urve•ylti
aneroid required by the Dominion's
Geographical tinrc'ey Departue'nt.
They nuked ret• an :Wentaey i,i 0.3,2
incho, of ua-rettry, 'rhe Germans said
m was impossible. 'Theo Bally ;,•fused
to
Ihituiu divided 10 tatekl til'• juh.
Twv years' special t•,•teareli 6111}•.
been put i❑ nn it and now die ul::k-
ea's sire able itt disclose the iact ,hat
tht•y hate done 1,•11 time., bract
than they were asked to do. They
have not achieved the 1.112 inrhe,• d
ae•,•ltrney but 11,in,S• ,u• one-tenth of
tin• error allowed by the peeitita•
tilos
"We host h••tv'!ly ern it said •I
menthol' of lint norm. 'int }tit ,
Sea ruli we did tis been. et blames,
value."
Today Britain's supremacy in
making scientific instruments is
drown by the world demand for
them. Among leer war time custom -
ere are Argentina. Australia. Can.
ala. New Zealand and South Africa.
When buutiters are swung aboard
ship et Motttrettl, their dashboards
carry _ among much else_- temperat-
ure indicat ors. boost gauges. hu' -1
press gauges, oil gauges. air-intake.,
thermometers and precision alto -
meters, all of tarn' matte in Groat
Britain.
The latest figure:! :are t'lntpn.•11t of
fl itain's u,•w sitpt'ttt111•y. Before ;last
tear she was expltl't1110 about ....
third Ile' 11311 til 11)' • 1 seieuNtlr• 1ut-tri:
11) 1 - rind 1,1' 11ed' ,,1.•1't 1l tilt ;'f t'; ei.i.
Intring the first hie' months
present year sho wort t t lice
than LSit;atln worth, an mane! .
crease of 41111051 tee
fit's alae 111,111th, et lan'
When a Mali leaves In wit•., s
:t M1IOOi:+trate. it's usually tit • wet:
win is to blame.
Which one?
Hospital's Capacity
For Service D emoii s -l -rated
By Extra War Burden
Health of British War
Guest Children Guarded
Without Charge
Five hundred medical examina-
tions per day! Every one to be
painstakingly thorough and unusual-
ly complete. Each child to be pro-
vided with a toll data chart and a
written recommendation as to diet
and any treatment or medicine re-
quired.
That's the job The Hospital for Sick
Children was asked to handle early
this summer!
Not since the Infantile Paralysis
epidemic of 1937 has the Hospital
been asked to rise to such an emer-
gency. Although the situation de-
veloped like a bolt from tate blue,
arrangements were quickly com-
pleted.
As we all know now, the number
of British children sent to Canada
this summer did not reach nearly
the proportions expected. Conse-
quently, the organization that had
been set up at the Hospital was not
used to the Iimit of its capacity.
Nevertheless practically every
British war guest child passing
through Toronto received a Same
plate examination with recommen-
dations as to treatment. No charge
was made for this service.
This is just another of the oc-
casions during its unusual career of
public service when the Hospital
has been fully prepared to meet an
emergency.
PARALYSIS STRIKES AGAIN
It is only a few weeks ago that
newspaper headlines startled the
people of Ontario with the an-
nouncement that six members of a
single family had been stricken with
Infantile Paralysis — the dreaded
Poliomyelitis. One member of the
family had to be taken to Toronto
in an Iron Lung—his only chance
for life. Despite the fact that a
large moving van was the only
vehicle obtainable which was suit-
able for moving the equipment with
the youngster already receiving
treatment within it, arrangements
were quickly made to bring the
patient to The Hospital for Sick
Children.
But this is just typical of the set -
vice The Hospital for Sick Children
has rendered the children of thin
Province for 65 years.
Every hour of every day and
night some emergency must be met.
The life of a child, precious to some
family, is at stake. It is only when
a number of similar cases occur a'
the same time that the work be-
comes "news," and can be called to
the attention of the public by the
press in a spectacular manner.
Nevertheless, the work goes on hour
after hour until the days and months
and years total decades et service
to the needy children of the
Province.
Every emergency situation creates
costs which mount up far beyond
the normal provisions of govern-
ment and municipal grants. But,
unlike most other hospitals, The
Hospital for Sick Children has no
large group of Private Ward beds
from which to draw extra revenue
which can be applied to Public Ward
service.
At present, 414 of the 434 beds are
in Public Wards.
No help is received from the fund
collected by the Toronto Federation
for Community Service, as patients
are taken from all over the Prov-
ince.
Sick and crippled children must
be given medical attention and hos-
pital care no matter what their cir-
cumstance, No one would deny
them this right.
This worthy Institution, which ac-
cepts its little patients regardless of
race, creed or financial circum-
stance, has just started its annual
Christmas appeal for funds to en-
able its work to be continued in
just as effective a manner as in the
past,
Those who have investigated all
agree that The Hospital for Sick
Children makes most careful use of
charitable donations and bequests—
a world-wide recognition for ef-
ficiency and economical operation,
has been earned.
Your gift should be mailed to the
Appeal Secretary, The hospital for
Sick Children, 67 College street, To-
ronto.
A chance for health and happiness
is the greatest possible Christmas
gift to children