230 



Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 Apkii., 1919. 



As mucli of the retting as possible must be done in autumn and tlie 

 balance in spring, the months of June and July being avoided. Spread- 

 ing should be commenced as soon as practicable after threshing; but, 

 as it is necessary to have fine weather to dry the straw when " picking 

 up," it should be continued after, say, the end of March, so that it may 

 be gathered in by the middle of May; even earlier would be better, for 

 after that the weather is usually very broken, and diying the straw 

 would be rendered exceedingly difficult, and if not dried and stacked 

 when ready much loss may result. 





Flax Scutching. 



Breaking. 



The breaker consists of several pairs of fluted rollers, the upper 

 ones being pressed against the lower ones with springs. The flax is 

 separated into small bundles of about as much as can he grasped in 

 one hand, then spread in a thin layer the full width of the rollers and 

 allowed to pass between them to tlie opposite end; the woody portion is 

 thns broken into short leiigtlis known as " shoves." 



Scutching. 



From the bi-caker the flax is passed to the first scutcher, where it is 

 roughly dressed. The operator holds a handful by one end in his left 

 hand, and with his right spreads and guides it to the 'beaters, running 

 at about 300 revolutions per minute, and when roughly cleaned passes 

 it to the second scutcher, which, in a similar manner, finishes the cleaning 

 process. The only remaining operation is bundling and baling, and when 

 these are completed, the flax will he ready for marketing. 



