110 FLAX CULTURE AND PREPARATION 



longer on the " rot " heap or the fault may be rectified during 

 grassing. As the beets are being lifted from the retting pond 

 they should be carefully rinsed in the flax water. 



Fig. 64 illustrates the method of removing the flax from 

 the pond, by hand. 



96. Idiosyncrasies of Flax Retting. Flax grown from similar 

 seed, precisely in the same field and soil but watered in different 

 places, or in the same pond at different times, will vary as 

 much as 20 to 25 per cent, in price and quality. 



The following actual examples are illustrative of this point 



I. A field containing two acres of flax, grown from Canadian 

 Dutch Child flax seed, was divided into two parts, thus 



A. Representing two -thirds of the best part of the crop 

 was retted in the autumn in water at a temperature between 

 54 and 57 F. The price received per stone was 35s. 



B. Representing the remaining third and worst part of the 

 crop was retted the following spring in the same pond and 

 with water from the same source, but containing some of the 

 flax water which had remained in the pond the whole of the 

 winter months. The pond was filled up ready for retting 

 about five weeks before actually required. The yield of flax 

 for B was about 10 per cent, more than for A, and the price 

 received was 37s. per stone, notwithstanding that it was much 

 more difficult to get as good prices in the following summer 

 as it had been the previous autumn, and apart from the fact 

 that the B straw was judged to be inferior to A since it had 

 been exposed to bad weather for a considerable period. At 

 the time, and to all appearance before the retting processes, 

 the yield of B should have been about 10 per cent, less than 

 that of A and about 10 per cent, inferior in quality also. 



II. A field of four acres, sown with Irish Dutch Child flax 

 seed, was divided into two parts, thus 



C. representing three parts, was deseeded and retted in 

 the autumn in a stagnant pond of water, the temperature of 

 which varied from 56 to 58 F. The scutched flax was 

 graded and realised 37s. per stone. 



