CHAPTER VIII 



HARVESTING FLAX 



64. Harvesting Possibilities. 65. Flax Culture a National 

 Industry Ireland and Belgium. 66. Flax Pulling. 67. Hand 

 Pulling. 68. Flax-pulling Machines. 69. Machine Types Rotary 

 Drum and Radially Oscillating Combs. 70. Puller Belts and " Butting" 

 Mechanism. 



64. Harvesting Possibilities. There are numerous pos- 

 sible methods of harvesting a flax crop, dependent primarily 

 upon the object for which the crop is cultivated. In some 

 respects the cultivation of flax may be classed as a double 

 crop ; first, the stalk contains a valuable textile fibre, and 

 second the fruit or seed of the plant is useful either for subse- 

 quent sowings and the propagation of its species or for feeding 

 cattle. 



When the flax crop is approaching the period of harvest 

 two important courses of realizing it are available to the 

 owner 



(a) To harvest the flax for its fibre only. 



(6) To gather in the crop for both fibre and seed. 



With the adoption of the former policy the operations are 

 few and include pulling, retting, spreading (drying) and 

 scutching. Many flax growers and farmers are induced to 

 decide on this policy, because in a relatively short period of 

 time the series of operations are completed and the flax pro- 

 duct is converted into cash. The adoption of this policy 

 involves the loss to the farmer and the community of the crop 

 of valuable seed, either for feeding or sowing as well as the 

 remunerative labour. 



With the adoption of the latter policy the operations 

 required are more numerous, elastic, varied and remunerative 

 than are those of the former method. It also offers several 

 alternatives, e.g. 



1 . Pulling, deseeding the green or semi-ripe seed bolls and 



63 



