small bundles are convenient for the subsec^ucnt operations of taking the seed off, 

 rotting, and spreading. Thus, though my method takes up more time at pulling, 

 it is more than compensated for afterwards. It will take five active men to pull 

 an acre of good heavy flax in a day. 



Lashing. — I have as yet in operation only the simple plan of taking the seed 

 off by lashing. When the flax and seed are thoroughly dry, two or three smart 

 blows of each bundle on a plank or log, takes the seed clean off' the straw and 

 will break most of the bolls. I then put it through the fanning mill, any bolls 

 coming through entire are broken on the barn floor with flat mallets. If there 

 are weeds I ha\'e sieves of diflferent sized meshes to take them out — of course 

 there are more economical methods of separating the seed from the stalk, but 

 none that I as yet know of by which the latter can be kept unbruised, and that 

 is an important matter. I brought some rippling combs with, me from the old 

 countiy, but gave up using them after the first year. 



Rotting. — I water-rot all my flax. I have a small creek of pure water run- 

 ning through a meadow on my place with a fall of a few feet. I have pools of 

 various sizes dug out, end on to the stream. I lead the water oftj at the proper 

 level above, by a small conduit, to fill the dam at one end when wanted, and let 

 it off at the other when done with. I have about three feet water in the dams — 

 four feet would be better — the water let in a day before using it. The flax is 

 then packed in closely, in a sloping direction, with the tops up — then loaded 

 down with logs and stones till all is completely under water, but not touching 

 bottom. Fermentation generally commences the day after the flax Ijas been put 

 in the dam, and it will rise considerably to the surface. This must be watched 

 and fresh loading put on, as whenever the flax, after being immersed, is exposed 

 to the sun and air, it will become discolored and its value lessened. When the 

 fermentation has ceased, generally on the third day, the flax has a tendency to 

 sink, and if I find it so, I remove part of the loading to keep it about midway 

 between the surface and bottom of the dam. The time flax requires to be left 

 in the water to be properly rotted, depends on so many circumstances and con- 

 tingencies, that it is utterly impossible to condescend on days and houi's. I have 

 had it sufiiciently rotted in five days, and I have found twelve. days insufficient 

 in other cases, the state of the weather and the kind of flax varying in almost 

 every filling of a dam. After the fourth day I keep trying several bundles at 

 ditterent parts of the dam. I take four or five stalks from the middle of the 

 bundle, lay them flat and break them, and if the straw breaks short and tender, 

 and then separates easily fi-om the fibre, leaving tlie latter not tow>/ but entire, 

 the rutting is about perfected. Another test is to take a single stalk in hand, 

 break it about the middle in two places, say three inches apart, and if the straw 

 can be drawn easily/ and clean away from the fibre, it is evidence of the flax 



