RETTING 111 



D, the remaining and best part of the crop was stacked with 

 the seed bolls attached. This portion was deseeded in the 

 following February and the straw retted during the latter 

 part of May. Water from the same source and stream as 

 for C was run into the retting pond, which contained flax 

 water from the previous autumn retting, equal to about the 

 total volume of water in the pond ; the temperature varied 

 from 62 to 68 F. After two days of apparently satisfactory 

 retting, partly through the neglect of an employee and partly 

 through the interference of some boy trespassers, some of the 

 water in the pond escaped. Since it is fundamentally essential 

 that the flax straw must be covered with water, there was no 

 alternative but to run in the necessary quantity of fresh clean 

 water. The immediate result of this action was a temporary 

 stoppage of the fermentation process, and this flax, which 

 should have been perfectly retted in nine days, was still on 

 the " hard " side two or three days later. Partly for experi- 

 mental purposes the flax, after nearly a fortnight's retting 

 and still on the " hard " side, was spread, dried, and scutched. 

 The quality of this fibre was slightly harsher than that of C, 

 retted in the autumn, and realised 35s. per stone 2s. per 

 stone less than that from the inferior straw which had received 

 no check in the retting. 



III. A farmer filled a large flax pond with half of his crop, E. 

 After retting the same he refilled the pond with the remaining 

 half F and with a supply of fresh water ; the treatment in 

 both cases was identical. Great, however, was the farmer's 

 surprise when the second portion F realised only 75 per cent, 

 in value to that of his portion E. The only conceivable 

 difference was a possible variation in temperature in the 

 water. 



97. Relting in Sluggish Rivers (Lys). Water retting for 

 very fine flax must be carefully performed preferably in 

 sluggish streams. The effect of retting in running water is to 

 impart to the flax a light yellow colour, which always commands 

 a higher market price. 



