VEGETABLE FIBERS. 601 



first pair drawing in the flax and passing it to the second pair, the flutings 

 of which are finer. The bearings work in slides so as to adjust them- 

 selves to the varying thickness of straw, and the i)ressure is obtained 

 by means of rubber rings placed in recesses on the top of the sliding 

 bearings, being kept in place by cross-bars. The straw is passed but 

 once through the machine, the successive crimping and breaking sep- 

 arating a considerable portion of the woody part, which drops from the 

 machine, while the more tenacious fiber passes on. Such a machine is 

 said to cost in New York, freight and duty included, about $155. The 

 driving of the top rollers is accomplished by means of gearing, and not 

 by contact with the lower roller, as in the previous machine. This sys- 

 tem insures better fiber, as it is not liable to injury or deterioration caused 

 by the grinding action of the flutes in the simpler machine. 



There is a larger machine, suitable for scutch mills, breaking, &c., 

 which, it is claimed, is better for both flax and hemp. In this machine 

 there are three pairs of fluted rollers, and endless feed and delivery 

 aprons. The refuse is brought by a shute to the front of the machine 

 below. There is a reciprocating motion attachment to the machine, 

 which causes the rollers to revolve in a forward direction for a given 

 time, and then to reverse the motion. 



The flax or hemp straw on entering the machine is subject to a forward and back- 

 vrard motion, the former always being in excess of the latter, so as to cause the straw 

 to pass gradually through the machine. The production of the machine is reduced 

 by the application of this motion ; but its breaking and bruising action on the straw 

 is greatly increased. This motion is very beneiicial in all cases in which the straw is 

 of strung growth and coarse, requiring much breaking preparatory to scutching. 



The brake best known in the United States and Canada is theMallory 

 and Sandford machine. It is made in different sizes, the illustration being 

 taken from a six-roller brake, with rolls 3 inches in diameter and 30 

 inches long. It cleans the fiber very thoroughly, and it is claimed that 

 less power is required than in any other machine. It takes out more of 

 the woody and worthless portions of the straw, and wastes less fiber. 



A committee of the ISIew York Agricultural Society made a series of 

 experiments with this machine, by which it was found that — 



The average work of the machine during the three trials was 1.558 ounce per sec- 

 ond, which at 10 hours work per day would be equivalent to 2,668 pounds of flax 

 straw. The total weight of broken straw in three experiments was 20 pounds 10 

 ounces, which was scutched in 23 minutes and 50 seconds, which is equal to 0.772 ounce 

 per second. Running 10 hours, a scutching machine will dress 1,737 pounds of broken 

 flax straw. 



The machine patented by Forbert de Landtsheer, of Paris, France, 

 May 8, 1877, may be called one of the most recent additions to flax- 

 cleaning machinery. It is provided with a combination of fluted rolla 

 having a double-reciprocating motion, with a scutching drum composed 

 of two rings of cast metal, covered with sheet metal, on the circumfer- 

 ence of which are attached eight, twelve, sixteen, or even a larger nam- 

 bei' of blades, if desired. These blades heat the material as it is dehv- 

 ered from the fluted rolls. As the ends of the material being cleaned 

 or scutched are first treated, it will be evident that the portions sepa- 

 rated from the material by scutching will be scutched also. The products 

 obtained will thus consist of long-stapled material, more or less perfectly 

 scutched, as well as a long tow, which is also scutched. In this manner 

 great advantages are claimed to be obtained over other systems. The 

 scutching may be done in this machine by inexperienced hands, or by 

 women or boys, which is an advantage in places where skilled labor ia 

 scarce and growers are prevented from raising such quantities of flax 



