on the Colour and Quality of the Flax. 5 



solubility of the colouring matter in proportion to the degree of 

 ripeness ; and in the ripest, on a principle I never till then knew 

 to have an existence in flax, viz, iron, which may be said to 

 abound in ripe flax. 



In unripe flax I found the colouring matter soluble in water ; 

 but this matter became less and less soluble, till the water made 

 little or no impression upon it. The time necessary for flax to 

 macerate must in some measure depend on the weather, but 

 more on the state of ripeness than most practitioners seem to be 

 aware of. 



In unripe flax the juices of the plant are in a mucilaginous 

 state; hence its solubilitv in water. If flax is watered in an un- 

 ripe state, the mucilage, from its solubility, tends greatly to facili- 

 tate the process of watering, by promoting the fermentation. 

 But if the flax is allowed to stand on the ground till it has at- 

 tained a rust}-brown colour, and the seed fully ripened, the 

 juices of the pLiiit are then changed from mucilage to resinous 

 matter, and certainly no longer soluble in water, so far as the 

 resin is concerned, unless assisted by solvents. 



In this stage, instead of having a large portion of mucilage 

 to expedite the fermentation, the resin defends the flax for a 

 time against the eifects of the water, and the fermentation must 

 proceed by slow degrees ; consequently the time necessary to 

 steep flax must vary according to the ripe or imripe state of 

 the flax when palled. ^\'hat would sufiicicntly water unripe flax, 

 would hardly penetrate the outer rind of the ripe ; and the time 

 required for the ripe would entirely destroy the other. 



The choice (where a choice can be made) of the water, and 

 the ground into which posuis are to be dug, or the rill or stream 

 into which the flax is to be laid, is certainly of the highest im- 

 ]>ortance, for the colour, quantity and quality of the flax. 



That very great improvements may be made in the mode of 

 •separating the flax from the rind and boon, so as to render that 

 process less offensive, far safer, and equally effectual, I have no 

 doubt w hatever. But before promulgating any speculative theorv 

 on a subject of such importance to the nation, would it not be 

 laudable in the Honourable Board of Trustees to cause a full 

 scries of experiments on a fair scale, to be made and followed 

 up by 8ome persons of skill and observation, which would set the 

 matter at rest, solve all doubts on so important a process, and 

 furnish the farmer and flax -grower with such instructions that he 

 could not err. 



The presence of iro)i in the plant was discovered in my at- 

 tempts to bleach flax, by different modes, to ascertain whether 

 there existed any other principle beside mucilage, resin and oil, 

 in what stage the juices became insoluble in water, and to 



A 3 what 



