The intention of watering flax is, in my opinion, 

 to nnake the boon more brittle or friable, and by 

 foaking to diflblve that gluey kind of fap that 

 makes the bark of plants anS trees adhere in a 

 fmall degree to the woody part. The bark of flax 

 is called the bark-, znd when feparated from the 

 ufelefs woody part the boofi, this harU itfclf is called 

 flax. To c&cd: this reparation eafily, the practice 

 has long prevailed of foaking the flax in water, to 

 a certain degree of fermentation, and afterwards 

 drying it. For this foakirtg fome prefer rivulets 

 that have a fmall current, and others ilagnant 

 water in ponds and' lakes. In bgth methods the 

 water adts as in all other cafes of infufion and ma- 

 ceration j after two or three weeks it extracts a great 

 many juices of a very ftrong quality, which in ponds 

 give the water an inky tinge, and oftenfive fmell; 

 and in rivulets mix in the dream, and kill the fi(h. 

 Nay, if this maceration be too long continued, the 

 extraded and fermented fap will compleatly kiU 

 the flax itfelf. For if, inftcad of two or three weeks, 

 the new flax were to lie foaking in the water four or 

 five months, I prefume it would be good for no- 

 thing but to be thrown upon the dunghill ; both 

 harle and boon would in that time be compleatly 

 rotted; yet the harle or flax, when entirely freed 

 from this fap, and manufadlured into linen, or into 

 ropes, might lay many months under water without 



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