56 FLAX. 



water ; and the result is flax of a dark grey colour. The 

 bundles are laid in one row, overlapping the next, and 

 then weighted with sods, stones, &c. The retting takes 

 from five to seven days. The flax is then taken out, 

 dried, and if of good quality, laid by till the following 

 spring, when it is spread on the grass to bleach. This 

 flax does not come to market till the second year after it 

 was grown ; but this is only the case with the finest flax. 

 In general, the bleaching immediately follows the retting ; 

 but keeping the flax-straw either before or after retting 

 decidedly improves the quality. 



" The chief difficulty in retting the flax is to decide 

 the exact time when it should be taken out of the water. 

 This is a very nice point, as by leaving it in the water a 

 few hours too long, it may be over-retted ; therefore we 

 should recommend. the example of the Irish Society to be 

 followed in the first instance, either to send one or more 

 young men to study the retting process abroad, or to 

 engage a Belgian to superintend this stage of the prepa- 

 ration of the flax." 



We also quote Mr. Henderson's practical and ex- 

 perienced directions : "Flax is subject to injury from 

 neglect, in every process, but in tlie steeping especially. 

 The water brought to the pond should be pure from all 

 mineral substances, clean and clear. The water of large 

 rivers is generally to be preferred, but spring water, 

 which has run some hundred yards, becomes soft, and 

 will have deposited any mineral impurities it contained. 

 Immediately from the spring it seldom does well. If the 

 water be good and soft, it is injurious to allow it to stag- 

 nate in the pond before steeping. I put in two layers, 

 each somewhat sloped with the root end of each down- 

 wards : one layer is said to be safer, and perhaps is so, 

 though I .have tried both, and seen no difference. It 

 should be placed rather loose than crowded in the pond, 

 and laid carefully, straight and regular. Having an 

 abundant supply of water, I do not let it into the pond 

 till the first layer is in. I cover with moss sods (from 

 the turf banks), laid perfectly close ; the sheer of each 



