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the fcalding water, ought to be kept in it five mi- 

 nutes, perhaps a quarter of an hour, perhaps a whole 

 hour. Should five minutes, or a quarter oT an 

 hour, or an hour, not be fufficient to make the 

 boon and harle eafily feparate, it might perhaps be 

 found expedient to boil the flax for more than an 

 hour, and fuch boiling when in this^ftate might in 

 return fave fcveral hours boiling in the article of 

 bleaching. It is not, I think, at all probable, that 

 the boiling of the flax with the boon in it would 

 prejudice the harle ; for in the courfe of its future 

 exiftence it is made to be expofed twenty or forty 

 times to this boiling trial ; and if not detrimental 

 in the one cafe, it is to be prefumed it would not 

 be detrimental in the other. Peihaps after the 

 boiling, it would be proper to pile up the flax in 

 one heap for a whole day, or half a day, to occaficn 

 fome fermentation, or perhaps immediately after 

 the boiling it might be proper to wafli it with cold 

 water. The great objedt when the flax is pulled, 

 is to get the harle from the boon with as little lofs 

 and damage as pofliblc; and if this be accomplifhed 

 in a more compleat manner than ufual, confiderable 

 labour and cxpence will be favcd in the future ma- 

 nufacturing of the flax. On this account, 1 think, 

 much more would be gained than loft, were the 

 two or three laft inches of the roots of the ftems to 



X 2 be 



