126 FLAX CULTUEE AND PREPARATION 



set of three such rollers was used for this purpose for a time 

 in Ireland and Scotland. 



The apparatus used by the hand scutcher was an upright 

 wooden frame or board, into which a notch or cutting was 

 made, about 4 ft. from the ground. This was denominated 

 the " stock." The scutcher's second and remaining implement 

 was a broad, flat, polished, hard wood blade of birch or 

 sycamore. 



With these primitive tools at his hand, the scutcher selected 

 a handful of straw, usually called a " strick," and with his 

 left hand placed it in the notch of the stock and there held it 

 firmly, turning it over as subsequently required. Simul- 

 taneously, in his right hand, the scutcher held the scutching 

 blade and repeatedly beat the flax until all the broken boon 

 was completely removed. Any particles remaining attached 

 to the fibres were technically denominated " shove." In 

 proportion as these shoves are removed from, or adhere 

 to, the scutched flax, so it is classified as " clean " or 

 " dirty." 



A good flax scutcher could scutch about one stone of clean 

 correctly retted flax straw per day. 



108. Flax Straw Butting Machine. Fig. 76 is a line diagram 

 which illustrates the main features of Mr. J. W. Stewart's 

 flax straw leveller. The advantage of having the root ends 

 of the straw all " square " is so well known as to require no 

 justification for the introduction and description of this 

 ingenious and simple device. 



A is a wooden framework, B an extension of same, C is 

 a fixed support for the spiked bar, F, to which a lateral oscil- 

 lating motion is given. D is a stationary sloping back with 

 cross-bars, E, against which the flax straw rests. F shows 

 one of a series of spikes, whose function is to keep the straw 

 from falling sideways. G, with the extension, I, is an inclined 

 table pivoted at H and free to oscillate about this pivot, 

 through the medium of the link J and crank L. 



As the table I vibrates, the flax straw placed upon it receives 



