THE FLAX PLANT AND FIBRE 9 



preparing or drawing and spinning sub-divide these fibre 

 bundles into their ultimate lengths and units of refinement, 

 cohesively and uniformly into a continuous thread which 

 possesses considerable tensile strength. For reasons of 

 economy, the flax spinner treats the flax as though it were 

 a long fibre until the final operation of spinning is reached. 

 In flax spinning the finer and medium sorts are spun wet. 

 The rove is conducted through a trough of hot water to the 

 drawing rollers. The hot water sufficiently macerates the 

 pectose to enable the fibres to separate into their ultimate 

 lengths and fineness and to readily pass each other as they are 

 drawn between the two pairs of rollers to be manipulated 

 into the desired mechanical and uniform order and relative 

 fineness. 



6. Flax Fibre Characteristics. The chief characteristics of 

 flax fibres are artificial lengths and fineness of ultimate fibres, 

 great strength, inelasticity and remarkable durability. 



The goods made from flax are, like the parent fibres, charac- 

 terised by the relative great strength and power to absorb 

 and give off moisture more readily than its contemporary 

 cotton. Linen fabrics are easy to wash, possess a charac- 

 teristic gloss which is unequalled ; some given types of linen 

 towels possess exceptional drying properties. 



7. Ultimate Fibre. The ultimate flax fibre is a long straight 

 tube, the lumen of which is very small ; the fibre is inter- 

 sected at regular intervals by nodes or knots and the surface 

 is characteristically distinguished by cross lines or markings. 

 The cell wall is regularly built up and of uniform thickness and 

 the narrow lumen or internal channel and structures are very 

 difficult to distinguish. The fibre tapers towards the ends 

 and vanishes almost to zero if sufficiently retted. 



8. Chemical Composition of Flax Fibres. The chief chemical 

 constituent of flax fibre is cellulose a compound of 

 carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and usually expressed by the 

 well-known formula, C G H 10 5 . 



The flax fibres, of which about 70 or 80 per cent is pure 



