MANAGEMENT OF FLAX. 801 



quality of flax. After sowing', cover it with a seed harrow, 

 g-oing" twice over it, and once across, or anglewise. This 

 makes it more equally spread, and prevents the deep creases 

 g-enerall}' made by the teeth of the harrows. 



Wccduui — Commences when the weeds can be readily 

 distinguished among'st the plants, or about the third week. 

 In this country it is usually performed in the same manner 

 as the weeding- of corn. 



PuUhig. — The best criterion is, when about two-thirds of 

 stalks are observed to turn yellow, and to lose their leaves ; 

 and also when, by cutting' the seed-pod across horizontally, 

 the seeds have chang'ed from the white milky substance 

 Avhich they first show, to a pale brown colour, and are pretty 

 firm. In pulling', take the plant close below the bolls ; this 

 allows the shortest of the plants to escape : with the next 

 handful, the puller draws the short plant, and so keeps the 

 short and long- each b}^ itself, to be steeped separately. 

 This should be particularly attended to, as it enhances the 

 value to the spinner, and consequently to the grower, who 

 will be amply repaid for his trouble. As soon as pulled, the 

 flax is stocked without binding'. The handfids are set iq), 

 resting' against each other, and the top ends joining- like the 

 letter A, forming" stooks about 8 feet long-, a strap keeping- 

 the ends firm. In this way it will resist wind and rain, 

 and dry quicklj'. In six or eight days it may be bound into 

 sheaves with wheat-straw bands, and stacked j the seed 

 may be taken ofl' at leisure ; the mode of taking the seed is 

 by repeated strokes of a beater, the foot being at the same 

 time kept on the root end of the flax, to prevent it from 

 being turned about, which would impede the after process 

 in its manufacture. 



Stcepbuj. — It is the practice of some to steep as soon as 

 the flax has been dried in the field. A great disadvantage 

 in treating flax in the autnmn is the difficulty in many cases 

 of ])reserving the seed after rippling. The system now ad- 

 vocated is, that flax should be steej)ed the following May; a 

 system which possesses the advantage of aflbrding the farmer 

 the best season of the year for stee})ing and grassing ; and at 

 a time of com])arative leisure, when his attention is not called 

 oft' the harvesting- of other important crops. The object of 

 causing the flax to undergo this process is to facilitate the 

 separation of the fibre from the stem, during which the 

 mucilaginous matters, causing- the fibres to adhere to it, par- 

 tially undergo the putrefactive fermentation. The water for 



