245 



In all cases the flax should be pulled up by the roots, and laid in small 

 parcels upon the surface of the land, and great care should be taken to 

 place the root ends even with each other. 



In pulling the flax, it should always be done with the intention (for 

 reasons afterwards shown) of stripping the seed; for this purpose it is 

 desirable to lay it in handfuls partly across each other, as the process of 

 stripping, technically called "rippling," is thereby facilitated, for the rip- 

 piers thus find the portions ready separated to their hand. It is import- 

 ant, even in this first operation, to separate and sort the flax according 

 to the qualities which various parts of the land may have produced, as it 

 is probable that each quality may require a peculiar treatment. Much 

 loss is frequently caused both to the grower and consumer by neglecting 

 this simple precaution. There arc two modes cf subsequently treating 

 the crop, each of which are alike satisfactory in their practical results ; 

 the choice, therefore, depends upon which may be the most convenient 

 to the grower to adopt. Where labor can be had, and where it is desi- 

 rable quickly to procure a money return, after thus pulling and sorting 

 the crop, the first operation is to ripple oft' the seed. This is sometimes 

 done after twelve or fourteen days' drying, but equally good, if not better, 

 results are obtained by performing that operation immediately after pull- 

 ing, as the flax requires less steeping afterwards, and is more easily sep- 

 arated from its woody stem. The rippling is performed by having the 

 ripple placed on the middle of a large cloth, spread on a convenient piece 

 of ground. The ripple is a sort of comb, consisting of one or two rows 

 of long triangular teeth, placed upright, by which the pods containing 

 the seed are removed from the flax. The manner of usina: this instru- 

 ment is to have it firmly fixed on the middle of a plank of wood, at each 

 end of which a rippler sits, when, by pulling the seed ends of the flax 

 repeatedly through the combs, the operation is executed in a very complete 

 and expeditious manner. The seeds afterwards require drying, when 

 they will separate from the pods of their own accord. In large estab- 

 lishments, where other occupations may render it inconvenient to perform 

 the above operations at harvest time, the flax may be dried without rip- 

 pling, and stacked as corn, till a more convenient moment, say the fol- 

 lowing spring. By this mode of treatment, the seed capsulus become 

 dry and crisp, and thus the seed can be separated from them by crushing 

 them between a pair of iron rollers, so arranged that the seed ends of 

 the handfuls of flax can be passed across the nip of the rollers, with its 



