OLD HOMESTEAD 



turned over, as it was liable to injury while going through this 

 process. 



When sufficiently rotted it was dried and taken to the barn, 

 ready for the *' break." This was a simple machine, consisting 

 of one piece of hardwood board or plank raised by hand and 

 jammed down between two other pieces arranged on a bench so 

 as to be easily worked. When the flax was laid across this and 

 the break worked vigorously, it came out so bruised and broken 

 that the fiber was released from the shive or shuck of the stalk. 

 Breaking flax was heavy, disagreeable work and raised a nasty 

 dust. It required a good, strong man, and sometimes one was 

 hired, either by the day or the job — father said the break told 

 which. It could be heard chugging away for a long distance, 

 and if worked for a per diem would say, "By the d-a-y, by the 

 d-a-y, by the d-a-y, d-a-y, d — a — y;" but if by the piece it would 

 talk out sharp, " By the job, by the job, by the job, job, job." 



Then came swingling, which was done with a sort of wooden 

 sword with a straight blade, with which the broken flax was 

 pounded. This cleared away the shuck and separated the 

 coarse or swingle tow from the fiber. This coarse tow was 

 saved and used to make tow-strings, small ropes and for wadding 

 and packing. 



Coarse hatcheling was the next process, which was drawing 

 a handful of the fiber between a lot of sharp spindles placed in 

 a board, doing up each hank in a separate twist when done. 

 The result of the first hatcheling was to comb out the coarse, 

 short fiber called tow. Then it went to the house and was put 

 through a fine hatchel, which left it very fine and silky, ready 

 for the distaff, upon which it was wound loosely by holding it in 

 the left hand and turning the distaff, which had been temporarily 

 detached from the wheel, in the right hand. 



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