72 FLAX CULTURE AND PREPARATION 



its wheels, 3, rotate clockwise ; simultaneously the drum 7 

 is pushed into the standing flax and rotates counter clockwise, 

 through the combined action of the parts 9 to 14 inclusive, 

 and the comb 15 is gradually pushed radially through the 

 aperture of the periphery of the drum 7 as a result of the 

 continued negative action of the non-rotating cam 20. With 

 the continued rotation and forward motion of the drum 7 

 the comb 15 penetrates between the flax stalks 22 below the 

 bolls, rises and engages with the bolls with sufficient energy 

 to pull the flax plants out of the ground (see position of 

 comb 15 1 ) and carry the flax to the top of the drum 7, where 

 it is gradually pushed over a lattice 23 to a conveyer or canvas 

 belt 24, which delivers the pulled flax on to an automatic 

 binder of standard type. As the cylinder rotates, the suc- 

 ceeding combs repeat these operations. The cylinder, with 

 the radiating combs, is adjustable to suit the height of the 

 standing crop. 



70. Puller Belts and " Butting " Mechanism. This type of 

 machine, designed by B. S. Summers, Port Huron, Michigan, 

 U.S.A., serves the three-fold purpose of pulling the flax, 

 evenly " butting " the root ends and automatically binding 

 the plants into bundles or " beets." Briefly the mechanism 

 consists of a carriage, free to be drawn over the harvest field 

 by draught animals or otherwise. Mounted on the carriage 

 is a series of endless sprocket-chain belts or " puller " belts, 

 supported and free to rotate on sprocket-chain wheels, in turn 

 mounted on a strong frame which inclines from front to rear 

 of the machine. These belts have associated with them types 

 of water-proofed leather or other compressible and flexible 

 substance between which the flax plants are grasped, pulled, 

 elevated, and fed substantially in their normal vertical position 

 rearwardly to the binder machine. 



The main features of the mechanism are illustrated at 

 Figs. 33, 34, and 35. Fig. 33 is a part plan of the puller 

 mechanism on a plane parallel to the plane of the puller belts. 

 Fig. 34 is a transverse section in elevation and Fig. 35 is a 



