PROJECTED REVIVAL OF THE FLAX INDUSTRY 615 



importance to have the flax tied up uniformly in the first 

 instance. 



There is much disagreement as to the merits of green-straw 

 retting over dry-straw retting, when regarded simply as a means 

 of preparing the best quality fibre, quite apart from the question 

 of saving seed, because it will be shown subsequently that in 

 either case the seed may be saved. 



In Ireland, parts of Russia and certain localities in Belgium 

 green-straw retting is advocated as being the better method, the 

 fibre prepared in this way being, it is said, of superior quality; 

 on the other hand, the best fibre of all comes from Belgium and 

 is prepared from straw which has been not only dried well but 

 has been kept until the following year before being retted. The 

 character of the growing season, the temperature and nature of 

 the water in which the straw is retted, all play a more prominent 

 part in determining what class of fibre will be obtained eventually, 

 so that it is difficult to ascribe distinctive merit to either method 

 of retting. Judging from information acquired in the different 

 districts, it may be that both methods have some particular 

 advantage ; possibly green-straw retting favours the production 

 of a fibre which is fine and more silky in character and the dry- 

 straw method produces a fibre which is stronger than the other 

 but the evidence in favour of this view is not very conclusive. 



To allow the " after-ripening " of the seed to take place the 

 crop is left in the field to dry for a day or two. The Belgian 

 farmer then lays the sheaves uniformly in one direction so as to 

 build up a wall which is propped at frequent intervals to resist 

 wind pressure and roughly thatched with rye straw. By this 

 arrangement, the flax straw is protected from rain and from sun 

 and at the same time the wind has a fair chance of penetrating 

 the wall, so that after some seven or eight days it becomes 

 sufficiently dry for the seed to be removed. The custom in 

 Holland, especially in Groningen and Friesland, is somewhat 

 different from that in Belgium. In the former province, after 

 preliminary drying, the sheaves are built around a roughly 

 constructed wooden tripod, such as is used for drying clover; 

 they are then left for about a week for the seed to mature and 

 dry. In Friesland the sheaves are made up into small ricks, 

 which are protected at the top by a cloth covering or a light 

 thatch of green rushes. 



In some parts of Russia, where the climate is wet, consider- 



