FLAX 425 



tho oscillations of a comb, whence by rollers the tow was brought into a sliver. In 

 order to preserve the continuity in tho supply of tow, and maintain the regularity of 

 the sliver produced by it, tho holders with the flax were presented to the hackle 

 cylinder in a manner peculiar to this machine, and in endless succession by means of 

 certain circular carriers placed at each end of the hackle cylinder, but excentric thereto, 

 and at such a distance apart as each should bear one end of the holder as it ex- 

 tended across tho cylinder parallel to its axis. Thus, tho holders introduced at that 

 part of the circumference of these carriers furthest from tho hackles were carried for- 

 ward, while the flax was in operation, till they were brought almost into contact with 

 the points of the pins, when, by the intervention of a slide, they were withdrawn from 

 the machine, but with ofle side only of the flax dressed, and that but on one tool ; 

 therefore the holder required replacing in the same machine, in order that the second 

 side of the strick should be dressed as was the first. The holders then required to bo 

 carried by hand to each succeeding machine of tho class. 



The preceding figure (937) shows the leading features of these machines : A A, 

 hackle cylinder ; B B, exceutric wheel to carry holders in its recesses, h h ; c, 

 slide upon which the holders were laid so as to fall into the recesses h h of wheel B ; 

 D, slide for taking out holders ; E, brush cylinders with brushes ; o, cylinder covered 

 with card clothing ; H, holder come out ; i, doffing comb. The space of the holder- 

 carrying wheel was filled with holders, and so maintained in endless succession, and 

 thus each served in some measure to keep the end of its preceding one down into the 

 hackles. 



About 1833, a machine was patented consisting of two parallel cylinders, over which 

 the flax was carried, revolving in its progress so as to present the alternate sides of 

 the strick to the hackles, the progressively finer tools being ranged along 



cylinders, so that having passed the length of one cylinder one end was completely 

 finished. When the holder was taken out, shifted,' and replaced, it was carried 

 back along the second cylinder, and thus returned to where it commenced, finished. 

 This machine, however, never was carried further than the experimental one for the 

 patent. 



Another machine (Wordsworth's) the same year made its appearance, and 

 for some time enjoyed much celebrity. It consisted of two parallel vertical sheets 

 of hackles running together, and so geared that the hackles of one intersected tho 

 interstices of the other. The flax suspended in its holder from a species of trough 

 passed between these two sheets, and was thus hackled simultaneously on each side in 

 its course through the progressively finer hackles from one end of the machine to the 

 other. 



A A (Jig. 938), hackle sheets ; B B, holder trough or slide ; c c c c, pulleys for carrying 

 the hackle sheets ; D D, brush rollers ; E E, rollers covered with card clothing to clear 

 tho brushes ; F F, doffer combs ; G G, hackles ; H, holder ; 1 1, brushes. 



It is unnecessary to notice more at length the different machines brought out, em- 

 ployed for a time, and then rejected. Although the hackling and spinning of flax, in 

 the full length as it grows, was what was first practised by hand, the first really suc- 

 cessful machine for hackling was what was known as the 'circular machine' for 

 hackling ' cut line,' as it is called, or the long flax fibre broken into several lengths. 

 It had always been known that the top and root ends of the fibre were of very infe- 

 rior quality to the middle, and of course when all was spun in one length the yarn 

 produced was inferior to what the middles could be spun to, while superior to what 

 tho tops and roots would produce. It therefore occurred that in the general qualities 

 of flax the division of the fibre, so as to separate the different portions named, would 

 be advantageous to the spinner. The operation of cutting was performed by a simple 

 machine consisting of a pair of jaws, so constructed that when the flax is introduced 

 between them the different parts, instead of being clearly cut off, are, so to speak, 

 bitten off, leaving ragged ends. This is desirable in order that the ragged ends might 

 interlace in the spreading prior to going through the preparing machines, which pre- 

 cede the spinning operation. The machine for hackling cut line was brought out 

 about forty years since, and underwent, before it was finally set aside, a considerable 

 number of modifications for the purpose of economising the labour in working it. 

 About the same time the ' flat machine ' was introduced, which was more particularly 

 intended for hackling long flax. The nature of the operation of these machines was 

 the same, the flax being acted on by different series of hackles fixed in the circum- 

 ference of a cylinder in the one machine, and on an endless sheet in the other. The 

 curvature of the cylinder was no objection in hackling cut flax ; but for acting on long 

 fibres it was necessary to put the hackles on a sheet, for the purpose of getting suffi- 

 cient length of flat surface. The most successful machines, and which displaced 

 . all previous ones, have been modifications of these of different kinds, some of them 

 being simply contrivances for saving manual labour, and giving certainty to the action, 



