| Dec. 1897. | Dec. 1898. | Dec. 1899. | Dec. 1900. | Dec. 1901. | Dec. 1902. | Dec. 1903. | Dec. 1904. | Dec. 1905. | Dec. 1906. | |
| Riga— | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ |
| SPK | 23½ | 21 to 22 | 28 to 32 | 42 | 28 to 32 | 32 | 39 | 33 | 35 | 32 |
| XHDX | 27 | 26½ | 32½ to 33 | 43½ | 34 | 35 | 42 | 34 | 36 | 33 |
| W St Petersburg— | 16 to 16¼ | 15½ to 16 | 22½ to 24 | 31 | 18 to 19 | 22 | 29 | 23 | 24 | 24 |
| Bajetsky | 28 to 29 | 26 to 27 | 32 to 32½ | 46 | 37 | 33 | 49 | 36 | 42 | 38 |
| Jaropol Tows— | 24 to 25 | 23 to 23½ | 30 | 42 | 32 | 30 | 42 | 33 | 35 | 33 |
| Mologin | 24 to 24¼ | 23 to 23½ | 24½ to 25 | 31½ | 32 | 32 | 42 | 32 | 34 | 32½ |
| Novgorod Archangel— | [1]23½ to 24 | [1]23 | [1]26 to 26½ | 33 | 31½ | 32½ | 41 | 31½ | 37 | 34½ |
| ½ and ½ tow | 25 | 24 to 24½ | 26 to 27 | 32 | 31 | 32 | 41 | 31½ | 32½ | 31 |
| 2nd Codilla | 25 | 24 to 24 | 25½ to 26 | 32 | 31 | 32 | 41 | 32 | 33 | 31 |
The raw flax is almost invariably known by the same name as the district in which it is grown, and it is further classified by special marks. The following names amongst others are given to the fibre:—Archangel, Bajetsky, Courish, Dorpat, Drogobusher, Dunaberg, Fabrichnoi, Fellin, Gjatsk, Glazoff, Griazourtz, Iwashkower, Jaransk, Janowitz, Jaropol, Jaroslav, Kama, Kashin, Königsberg, Kostroma, Kotelnitch, Kowns, Krasnoholm, Kurland (Courland), Latischki, Livonian Crowns, Malmuish, Marienberg, Mochenetz, Mologin, Newel, Nikolsky, Nolinsk, Novgorod, Opotchka, Ostroff, Ostrow, Otbornoy, Ouglitch, Pernau, Pskoff, Revel, Riga, Rjeff, St Petersburg, Seretz, Slanitz, Slobodskoi, Smolensk, Sytcheffka, Taroslav. Tchesna, Totma, Twer, Ustjuga, Viatka, Vishni, Vologda, Werro, Wiasma, Witebsk.
These names indicate the particular district in which the flax has been grown, but it is more general to group the material into classes such as Livonian Crowns, Rija Crowns, Hoffs, Wracks, Drieband, Zins, Ristens, Pernau, Archangel, &c.
The quotations for the various kinds of flaxes are made with one or other special mark termed a base mark; this usually, but not necessarily, indicates the lowest quality. The September-October 1906 quotations appeared as under:—
| Livonian | basis | K | £26 to £27 | per ton, |
| Hoffs | ” | HD | £21 to £22 | ” |
| Pernau | ” | D | £28 to £28 : 10 | ” |
| Dorpat | ” | D | £32 to £32 : 10 | ” |
| cleaned. | ||||
It will, of course, be understood that the base mark is subject to variation, the ruling factors being the amount of crop, quality and demand.
The marks in the Crown flaxes have the following signification:—
| K | means | Crown and is usually the base mark. | ||||
| H | ” | Light and represents a rise of about | £1 | |||
| P | ” | Picked | ” | ” | ” | £3 |
| G | ” | Grey | ” | ” | ” | £3 |
| S | ” | Superior | ” | ” | ” | £4 |
| W | ” | White | ” | ” | ” | £4 |
| Z | ” | Zins | ” | ” | ” | £10 |
Each additional mark means a rise in the price, but it must be understood that it is quite possible for a quality denoted by two letters to be more valuable than one indicated by three or more, since every mark has not the same value.
If we take £25 as the value of the base mark, the value per ton for the different groups would be:—