DESEEDING METHODS 89 



necessary where the flax is of fine quality, and where the stems 

 only contain a few bolls. 



If the rippling is carefully performed, the seed capsules will 

 all be thoroughly removed and the stalks cleaned with the 

 minimum of breakages, but a careless rippler produces a lot 

 of waste. In earlier days three average ripplers could take 

 the seed bolls from a statute acre of fresh pulled flax in one 

 day. Recently an average rippler completely rippled one 

 statute acre of partially dried flax in forty hours. 



82. " Rippling " Operation. Each handful of rippled flax 

 is laid down by the rippler at his side, until he has accumulated 

 a sufficient quantity to make an average sized round beet, 

 which is then tied together. If desired, less experienced 

 assistants may be engaged to keep the rippler supplied with 

 handfuls of the unrippled straw and to tie up and take away 

 the finished beets which are now ready for the retting process, 

 or the whole series of operations may easily be performed by 

 boys or girls. 



83. Rotary Ripple. Figs. 46 and 47 illustrate an elevation 

 and plan respectively of the essential details of a rotary 

 rippling machine, designed by Mr. W. J. Strain, Moyallon, 

 Portadown, Ireland. 



The chief features of the mechanism are as follows : A 

 drum 1 with shaft 2 is mounted and free to rotate in the 

 bearings of the supporting frame 3 as shown. The drum 1 

 carries two combs, 4 and 4', diametrically opposed to each 

 other. A series of semi-circular bars 5 are compounded in 

 the form of a stationary grid, which latter is so adjusted that 

 each successive bar 5 is fixed equidistant between the respective 

 and contiguous pairs of pins 4. Compounded with each 

 divisional bar 5, are eleven radially-constructed pins (5 whose 

 function it is to offer a restraining action to the pull of the 

 rotary combs 4 and 4'. 



The operation of rippling is as follows : The rotary drum 1, 

 with combs 4 and 4', is set in motion. The rippler takes 

 successive handfuls of flax and firmly gripping the straw 





