48 FLAX CULTURE AND PREPARATION 



Sweated on to the upper end of the spindle H is a small brass 

 collar or pulley I but set out of its centre on the spindle H. 

 This pulley loosely fits into a recessed part on the under-side 

 of the iron plate C. The spindle H passes freely through the 

 wood base A and rests freely and is free to oscillate on an iron 

 plate, fixed as shown, to the underside of the base A. A 

 second plate J, styled the shut-off plate, is adjustably supported 

 to the underside of the seed box B by set-screws K, L, M, 

 which pass through the slotted portions N, 0, P respectively 

 of the plate J. By this arrangement the shut-off plate J 

 is free to reciprocate in a direction parallel to the base of the 

 feed box B so as to partially or wholly cover the aperture D 

 of the vibratory lever and feed plate C. 



A small iron lever Q is pivoted to the underside of the seed 

 box B by the set-screw R, and may be adjusted to any desired 

 position about its pivot stud B. The nearer it is moved 

 towards the front of the feed box the more completely it moves 

 in sympathy with the shut-off plate J and closes over the 

 aperture D and thereby regulates or entirely shuts off the 

 supply of the seed in box B. 



The limit of the backward traverse of the lever Q and the 

 shut-off plate J, and incidentally the flow of seed from box B, 

 is controlled by a small bracket T adjusted on the fixed stud 

 U to the underside of the feed box B by a thumb-screw V, as 

 shown at Fig. 19. A fiddle stick W is provided with a detach- 

 able knob X to which is securely fastened a narrow leather 

 strap or cord Y. When the knob X is detached, the stick W 

 is passed through perforations in the base board A and the 

 spiral springs Z. The knob X is then fastened on to the end 

 of the stick W as shown and the leather strap Y is coiled once 

 around the wooden pulley G, then the free end of the cord Y 

 is securely but temporarily fastened to the handle end of the 

 stick W as shown. The fiddle stick is free to be reciprocated 

 to the right and left by which means the pulley G and its 

 connections are oscillated. Each of the spiral springs Z is 

 fastened to the base board A and they serve as buffers against 



