456 



LINE^E. I. LINUM. 



ated from the woody part, and sorted into lengths. These oper- 

 ations are often all performed by the cottager or small farmer, 

 who grows flax for the purpose of spinning the fibre in his own 

 family. But there are also public^aa; mills, impelled by water 

 or other powers, by which flax is scutched, and it is then heckled 

 by professed hecklers. A method of preparing flax in such 

 a manner as to resemble cotton in whiteness and softness, as 

 well as in coherence, is given in the Swedish Transactions for 

 the year 1747. For this purpose a little sea-water is to be put into 

 an iron pot, or an untinned copper kettle, and a mixture of 

 equal parts of birch-ashes and quicklime to be strewed upon it ; 

 a small bundle of flax is to be opened and spread upon the 

 surface, and covered with more of the mixture, and the strati- 

 fication continued till the vessel is sufficiently filled. The whole 

 is then boiled with sea-water for ten hours, fresh quantities of 

 water being then supplied according to the evaporation, that the 

 matter may never become dry. The boiled flax is to be imme- 

 diately washed in the sea by a little at a time in a basket with a 

 smooth stick, at first when hot, and when grown cold enough to 

 be borne by the hands, it must be well rubbed, washed with 

 soap, laid to bleach, and turned and watered every day. Re- 

 petitions of the washing with soap expedite the bleaching, after 

 which the flax is to be beat, and again well washed ; when dry 

 it is to be worked and carded in the same manner as common 

 cotton, and pressed betwixt two boards for 48 hours. It is now 

 fully prepared and fit for use. It loses in this process nearly 

 one-half of its weight, which however is abundantly compensated 

 by the improvement made in its quality. 



Lee's method of breaking flax and hemp without dew-retting 

 was invented in 1810, and was the first step towards a great 

 improvement, brought nearer to perfection by the new patent 

 machines of Messrs. Hill and Bunby, which are portable, and 

 may be worked in barns or any kind of out-houe ; they are 

 also well calculated for parish workhouses and charitable insti- 

 tutions ; a great part of the work being so light, that it may be 

 done by children and infirm persons, and such is the construc- 

 tion and simplicity of the machines, that no previous instruction 

 or practice in required. The woody part is removed by a very 

 simple machine, and by passing through the second machine, 

 equally simple, the flax may be brought to any degree of fine- 

 ness equal to the best used in France and the Netherlands, for 

 the finest lace and cambric. The original length of the fibre, 

 as well as the strength remains unimpaired, and the difference of 

 the produce is immense, being nearly two-thirds, one ton of flax 

 being produced from four tons of stalks. The expense of work- 

 ing each ton obtained by this method is only five pounds. The 

 glutinous matter may be removed by soap and water only, 

 which will bring the flax to such perfect whiteness, that no 

 further bleaching is necessary, even after the linen is woven ; 

 and the whole process of preparing flax may be completed in 

 six days. 



The produce of flax in seed is generally from six to eight, 

 sometimes as high as ten or twelve bushels per acre, and the 

 price depends in a great measure on that of foreign seed im- 

 ported ; as when sold to oil makers it is generally about one-half 

 of Dutch seed, sold for the purpose of sowing. The seed is 

 separated into three qualities, the best for sowing, the second 

 best for crushing for oil, and the inferior for boiling or steaming 

 for cattle. 



The produce of flax in fibre varies exceedingly. Before 

 being sorted, the gross product of fibre varies from three cwt. 

 to half a ton per acre. 



The use of flax in the linen manufacture is well known. The 

 seed is crushed for oil, which is that in common use by painters ; 

 the cake or husk, which remains after the expression of the oil, 

 is sold for fattening cattle, and in some places as a manure ; 



and the inferior seed, not fit for crushing, is boiled and made into 

 flax-seed jelly, esteemed an excellent nutriment for stock, the 

 process of making which we shall here describe. The propor- 

 tion of water to seed is about seven to one. Having been 

 steeped in water eight and forty hours previous to boiling, 

 the remainder is added cold, and the whole boiled gently about 

 two hours, keeping it in motion during the operation, to prevent 

 its burning to the boiler, thus reducing the whole to a jelly-like, 

 or rather a gluey or ropy consistence. After being cooled in 

 tubs it is given with the mixture of barley-meal, bran, and cut 

 chaff; a bullock being allowed about two quarts of the jelly per 

 day, or somewhat more than a quart of seed in four days ; that 

 is about one-sixteenth of the medium allowed of oil. cake. 



77;e diseases of flax are few, and chiefly the fly, which 

 sometimes attacks the plant when young, and the mildew and rust. 



Medical qualities. Linseed contains about one-fifth of mucilage 

 and one-sixth of fixed oil. The mucilage resides entirely in the 

 skin, and is separated by infusion or decoction, the oil by expres- 

 sion. It is one of the cheapest fixed oils, but is generally rancid 

 and nauseous, and unfit for internal use. Linseed is emollient and 

 demulcent. The entire seeds are used in cataplasms. The infusion 

 is much employed as a pectoral drink, and in ardor-urinae, 

 nephritic pains, and during the exhibition of corrosive sublimate. 



Very useful or Common Flax. Fl. June, July. Britain. PI. 

 1 to 3 feet. 



50 L. MARGINA'TUM (Poir. suppl. 3. p. 443.) plant glabrous, 

 erect ; leaves linear-lanceolate, reflexed ; sepals with white 

 margins, and are as well as the capsules mucronated ; petals 

 crenated. I/ . H. Native of? L. angustifolium, Willd. enum. 

 338. but not of Huds. L. affine, Panz. mss. Very like L. 

 usitatissimum, but the flowers are smaller. 



Marginated-sepatted Flax. Fl. Ju. Jul. Clt. 1810. PI. 2 ft. 



51 L. REFLE'XUM (Ait. hort. kew. 1. p. 307.) leaves ovate- 

 lanceolate, acuminated, reflexed, smooth ; sepals acuminated ; 

 filaments connate. Ij. . H. Native of the south of Europe. 

 Flowers blue. 



Kejlexed-lesiveii Flax. Fl. July. Clt. 1777. PI. 1| foot. 



52 L. RUBRUM (Rafin. carl. p. 74.) plant glabrous; stem 

 straight, branched, angular at the top ; leaves linear acute, 1- 

 nerved ; peduncles rather corymbose, striated ; sepals ovate, 

 acuminated, 3-nerved, with scarious margins. I/ . H. Native of 

 Sicily near Agrigentum. Flowers rose-coloured. Allied to L. 

 usitalissimum. 



7?erf-flowered Flax. Fl. June, July. PI. 1| to 2 feet. 



53 L. OLioorny'LLUM (Willd. mss. in Schult. syst. 6. p. 758.) 

 stem branched ; leaves linear, scale-formed ; flowers solitary ; 

 sepals ovate, acuminated. If. . F. Native of Buenos Ayres. 



Var. a, glandulosum (Schiede in Schlecht. Linnaea. 1. p. 68.) 

 branched ; leaves spreading, furnished with as tipular gland at the 

 base. 



Var, (3, eglandulosum (Schiede, 1. c.) leaves spreading, desti- 

 tute of the stipular gland. 



Far. y, squamifolium (Schiede, 1. c.) stem simple ; leaves 

 scale-formed, without the stipular gland. 



Few-leaved Flax. PI. 1 foot ? 



54 L. SQUAMULOSUM (Rud. ill Willd. enum. p. 338.) plant 

 glabrous, erect ; leaves linear-awl-shaped, erect, lower ones 

 smaller, and crowded ; sepals ovate, acute, 5-nerved, with mem- 

 branaceous margins ; petals hardly thrice the size of calyx. 



"H.. H. Native ofTauria and on the banks of the Don. Flowers 

 blue, but sometimes apetalous, according to Rudolph. L. 

 Austriacum, Bieb. fl. taur. 1. p. 245. but not of Lin. 



Scafy-leaved Flax. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1818. PI. 1 to 2 ft. 



55 L. DIFFU SUM (Schult. obs. 63.) plant glabrous, diffuse, 

 ascending ; stems branched ; branches spreading ; leaves linear- 

 lanceolate, acute, 1 -nerved ; petals twice the size of the calyx. 



