50 



treated like the former ; but when scutched it was thirty 

 per cent, better, exclusive of the seed saved, both ends 

 being perfect, while those of the other were precisely in 

 the state foretold by the Belgians. The remainder of 

 the field was dried in stooks, stacked, and the seed 

 beaten out in winter. 



" From the result of this experiment, I ascertained 

 that there were four principal methods of pulling and 

 steeping, as follow : First, the flax is pulled, and in a 

 few hours steeped with the seed. Secondly, the bolls are 

 rippled on the field, and the stalks steeped immediately. 

 Thirdly, the flax is dried in stooks, seed thrashed, and 

 stalks steeped. Fourthly, stooked, stacked, the seed 

 beetled in the winter months, and the stalks steeped at 

 pleasure." The third method here mentioned is the one 

 followed in France, when circumstances permit. 



THRASHING THE SEED. 



The mode of divesting the flax of its seed differs con- 

 siderably, as we have seen, according to the destination 

 of the fibre and the locality in which it is grown. The 

 most general plan is to crush the bolls, or capsules, with 

 a jto-headed mallet, exactly like that to be figured for 

 beating or beetling the flax previous to scutching, except 

 that its face or under-surface is not cut into teeth. This 

 mode may be called beating, or thrashing, the seed; 

 rippling is the act of drawing the flax-heads through a 

 close-toothed iron comb, which tears oft* the capsules 

 (see fig). The plan is advocated by some under the 

 idea that the seed keeps better in that state, which may 

 be true. 



The best practice is as follows : the threshing of flax 

 takes place as immediately as possible after harvest. 

 Here again we see the value of the timer's intervention 

 the farmer is busy about other things. A bundle of flax 

 is divided in two, spread out, and laid on the barn floor, 

 with the two heads together, and then beaten with flat- 

 headed mallets. Two men work together better than one 



