456 LINE. 
ated from the woody part, and sorted into lengths. These oper- 
ations are often all performed by the cottager or small farmer, 
who grows flax for the purpose of spinning the fibre in his own 
family. But there are also public flax mills, impelled by water 
or other powers, by which flaz is scutched, and it is then heckled 
by professed hecklers. A method of preparing flax in such 
a manner as to resemble cotton in whiteness and softness, as 
well as in coherence, is given in the Swedish Transactions for 
the year 1747. For this purpose a little sea-water is to be put into 
an iron pot, or an untinned copper kettle, and a mixture of 
equal parts of birch-ashes and quicklime to be strewed upon it ; 
a small bundle of flax is to be opened and spread upon the 
surface, and covered with more of the mixture, and the strati- 
fication continued till the vessel is sufficiently filled. The whole 
is then boiled with sea-water for ten hours, fresh quantities of 
water being then supplied according to the evaporation, that the 
matter may never become dry. The boiled flax is to be imme- 
diately washed in the sea by a little at a time in a basket with a 
smooth stick, at first when hot, and when grown cold enough to 
be borne by the hands, it must be well rubbed, washed with 
soap, laid to bleach, and turned and watered every day. Re- 
petitions of the washing with soap expedite the bleaching, after 
which the flax is to be beat, and again well washed ; when dry 
it is to be worked and carded in the same manner as common 
cotton, and pressed betwixt two boards for 48 hours. It is now 
fully prepared and fit for use. It loses in this process nearly 
one-half of its weight, which however is abundantly compensated 
by the improvement made in its quality. 
Lee’s method of breaking flax and hemp without dew-retling 
was invented in 1810, and was the first step towards a great 
improvement, brought nearer to perfection by the new patent 
machines of Messrs. Hill and Bunby, which are portable, and 
may be worked in barns or any kind of out-house ; they are 
also well calculated for parish workhouses and charitable insti- 
tutions; a great part of the work being so light, that it may be 
done by children and infirm persons, and such is the construc- 
tion and simplicity of the machines, that no previous instruction 
or practice in required. The woody part is removed by a very 
simple machine, and by passing through the second machine, 
equally simple, the flax may be brought to any degree of fine- 
ness equal to the best used in France and the Netherlands, for 
the finest lace and cambric. The original length of the fibre, 
as well as the strength remains unimpaired, and the difference of 
the produce is immense, being nearly two-thirds, one ton of flax 
being produced from four tons of stalks. The expense of work- 
ing each ton obtained by this method is only five pounds. The 
glutinous matter may be removed by soap and water only, 
which will bring the flax to such perfect whiteness, that no 
further bleaching is necessary, even after the linen is woven ; 
and the whole process of preparing flax may be completed in 
six days. 
The produce of flax in seed is generally from six to eight, 
sometimes as high as ten or twelve bushels per acre, and the 
price depends in a great measure on that of foreign seed im- 
ported ; as when sold to oil makers it is generally about one-half 
of Dutch seed, sold for the purpose of sowing. The seed is 
separated into three qualities, the best for sowing, the second 
best for crushing for oil, and the inferior for boiling or steaming 
for cattle. 
The produce of flax in fibre varies exceedingly. Before 
being sorted, the gross product of fibre varies from three cwt. 
to half a ton per acre. 
The use of flax in the linen manufacture is well known. The 
seed is crushed for oil, which is that in common use by painters; 
the cake or husk, which remains after the expression of the oil, 
is sold for fattening cattle, and in some places as a manure; 
I. Linum. 
and the inferior seed, not fit for crushing, is boiled and made into 
flax-seed jelly, esteemed an excellent nutriment for stock, the 
process of making which we shall here describe. The propor- 
tion of water to seed is about seven to one. Having been 
steeped in water eight and forty hours previous to boiling, 
the remainder is added cold, and the whole boiled gently about 
two hours, keeping it in motion during the operation, to prevent 
its burning to the boiler, thus reducing the whole to a jelly-like, 
or rather a gluey or ropy consistence. After being cooled in 
tubs it is given with the mixture of barley-meal, bran, and cut 
chaff; a bullock being allowed about two quarts of the jelly per 
day, or somewhat more than a quart of seed in four days; that 
is about one-sixteenth of the medium allowed of oil-cake. 
The diseases of flax are few, and chiefly the fly, which 
sometimes attacks the plant when young, and the mildew and rust. 
Medical qualities. Linseed contains about one-fifth of mucilage 
and one-sixth of fixed oil. The mucilage resides entirely in the 
skin, and is separated by infusion or decoction, the oil by expres- 
sion. It is one of the cheapest fixed oils, but is generally rancid 
and nauseous, and unfit for internal use. Linseed is emollient and 
demulcent. The entire seeds are used in cataplasms. The infusion 
is much employed as a pectoral drink, and in ardor-urine, 
nephritic pains, and during the exhibition of corrosive sublimate. 
Very useful or Common Flax. Fl. June, July. Britain. P). 
1 to 3 feet. 
50 L. marcina'tum (Poir. suppl. 3. p. 443.) plant glabrous, 
erect; leaves linear-lanceolate, reflexed; sepals with white 
margins, and are as well as the capsules mucronated ; petals 
crenated. 2/.H. Nativeof? L. angustifdlium, Willd. enum. 
338. but not of Huds. L. affine, Panz. mss. Very like L. 
usitatissimum, but the flowers are smaller. 
Marginated-sepalled Flax. Fl. Ju. Jul. Clt. 1810. Pl. 2 ft. 
51 L. rerie’xum (Ait. hort. kew. 1. p. 307.) leaves ovate- 
lanceolate, acuminated, reflexed, smooth; sepals acuminated ; 
filaments connate. 2. H. Native of the south of Europe. 
Flowers blue. 
Reflexed-leaved Flax. Fl. July. Clt. 1777. Pl. 14 foot. 
52 L. rv srum (Rafin. carl. p. 74.) plant glabrous; stem 
straight, branched, angular at the top; leaves linear acute, 1- 
nerved ; peduncles rather corymbose, striated; sepals ovate, 
acuminated, 3-nerved, with scarious margins. XY. H. Native of 
Sicily near Agrigentum. Flowers rose-coloured. Allied to Z. 
usitalissimum. 
Red-flowered Flax. Fl. June, July. Pl. 14 to 2 feet. 
53 L. ottcorny’tium (Willd. mss. in Schult. syst. 6. p. 758.) 
stem branched ; leaves linear, scale-formed; flowers solitary ; 
sepals ovate, acuminated. Y.-F. Native of Buenos Ayres. 
Var. a, glanduldsum (Schiede in Schlecht. Linnea. 1. p. 68-) 
branched ; leaves spreading, furnished with as tipular gland at the 
base. 
Var. B, eglanduldsum (Schiede, 1. c.) leaves spreading, desti- 
tute of the stipular gland. 
Var. y, squamifòlium (Schiede, 1. c.) stem simple ; leaves 
seale-formed, without the stipular gland. 
Fen-leaved Flax. Pl. 1 foot? 
54 L. sauamuésum (Rud. in Willd. enum. p. 338.) plant 
glabrous, erect ; leaves linear-awl-shaped, erect, lower ones 
smaller, and crowded ; sepals ovate, acute, 5-nerved, with mem- 
branaceous margins; petals hardly thrice the size of calyx. 
%.H. Native of Tauria and on the banks of the Don. Flowers 
blue, but sometimes apetalous, according to Rudolph. L. 
Austriacum, Bieb. fl. taur. 1. p. 245. but not of Lin. 
Scaly-leaved Flax. Fl. July, Aug. Cit. 1818. Pl. 1 to2 ft. 
55 L. pieru'sum (Schult. obs. 63.) plant glabrous, diffuse, 
ascending; stems branched ; branches spreading ; leaves linear- 
lanceolate, acute, 1-nerved ; petals twice the size of the calyx. 
