PREPARATION OF FLAX 105 



straw, immediately after its removal from the vats, 

 between heavy rollers over which a continuous stream 

 of water is made to flow. This operation frees the 

 straw from the slimy matter adhering to it, and also 

 facilitates the subsequent breaking and scutching 

 operations. 



A further development of this method is embodied 

 in the Legrand process, which was patented in the 

 United Kingdom in 1904. The straw is packed, root- 

 end downwards, in wooden crates similar to those 

 used in the Courtrai district. A series of three tanks 

 is employed, in which the water is maintained at 

 86-88 F. These tanks are termed the " scouring " 

 tank (A), the " retting " tank (B) and the " rinsing " 

 tank (C). The crates are lowered into tank A by 

 means of an overhead travelling crane, and allowed to 

 remain there for twenty-four hours. During this time, 

 however, they are occasionally raised by means of 

 the crane, and held over the tank for a few minutes 

 to allow the water to drip through the bundles, and 

 then again plunged into the water, so that the latter 

 rises right through the straw and ensures that the 

 steeping is even throughout. The crates are then 

 transferred to tank B, and allowed to remain, with 

 occasional lifting and re-lowering, until the retting 

 is completed ; this takes from 2| days, in the case of 

 poor straw, to 3^ 4 days with good, heavy straw. 

 Finally the crates are placed in tank C, in which the 

 straw is rinsed and the adhering impurities washed 

 away. The process requires to be carefully watched 

 in order that the flax may be withdrawn from the 

 retting tank at the right moment. The clean, warm 

 water is admitted in a slow and continuous stream 

 at the bottom of tank C, and is siphoned over succes- 

 sively into tanks B and A. After the crates have 

 been taken from the rinsing tanks they are placed on 

 trucks and left for a day or two to drain. The trucks 

 are then run out into a meadow, where the flax is 

 taken out of the crates, and the bundles are opened 

 and stood up in sheaves to dry and harden. The 

 Legrand method has several advantages over the 

 older methods . Owing to the regular manner in which 



