

FLAX CULTURE AND PREPARATION 



CHAPTER I 



THE FLAX PLANT AND FIBRE 



1. Flax Plant. 2. Antiquity of Flax Cultivation. 3. Modern 

 Flax-producing Countries. 4. The Uses of Flax and Seed. 5. The 

 Flax Fibre. 6. Flax Fibre Characteristics. 7. Ultimate Fibre. 

 8. Chemical Composition of Flax Fibres. 



1. The Flax Plant. The genus or family of the flax plant 

 is Linum. There is but one species known and cultivated of 

 this genus Linum usitatissimum, which yields a fibre charac- 

 teristically suitable for textile purposes. There are two chief 

 varieties of this species of flax plant grown for fibre purposes, 

 viz.: I. Linum usitatissimum, vulgar e blue flower. II. Linum 

 usitatissimum , album white flower. The former variety or 

 blue flower flax produces a fibre fine and good in quality, the 

 latter produces a fibre stronger but coarser and of poorer 

 quality than the former variety. 



The flax plant is a cultivated annual ; the stem is commonly 

 solitary, erect, elegant, and exquisite in appearance ; the 

 leaves are alternate, lanceolate, and serrated. The fibre plant 

 only branches out near the top and each piece terminates in 

 a beautiful white or blue flower. As the flowers fade the round 

 seed bolls or fruit capsules gradually develop. Each matured 

 capsule contains ten seeds. Fig. 1 is a sketch of the flax plant 

 in flower drawn to J scale. 



The flower and seed bolls are shown full size at A and B. 



2. Antiquity of Flax Cultivation. From remote antiquity. 

 Flax has been cultivated, prepared, spun into yarn and woven 

 into textile fabrics. Many scriptural records give evidence 

 of this fact. " Pharaoh arrayed Joseph in vestures of fine 



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