FLAX 49 



row as before, but with the tops all the same way, which gives 

 a slope to throw off the rain. The stack is then finished by 

 putting a little straw on the top and tying it down with a rope. 

 In this way, if properly built, it stands secure for months or 

 years without injury. 



Under the Courtrai system the seed is taken off during the 

 winter and the straw restacked or kept under cover until the 

 spring, when it is sometimes watered, grassed, &c. It is 

 generally considered better, however, that the flax straw be 

 kept for at least a year, and it is often kept for two years 

 before steeping. 



To remove the seed the sheaves are loosened and the straw 

 spread flat upon the ground, the top ends being struck with 



FIG. 7. 



the implement shown in fig. 9, which knocks off the bolls. 

 The straw is then bound up again as before and restacked or 

 stored. 



In steeping, the bundles of flax straw are packed either 

 horizontally or vertically in large wooden crates lined with 

 straw. The upright position is usually adopted, as it is said 

 to be more favourable to the production of light-coloured 

 fibre, as no sediment or deposit can rest upon it at any stage 

 of fermentation. The crates or ballons are about 3 or 4 ft. 

 deep, and usually contain about 150 bundles or beets from 

 8 to 12 in. in diameter. Straw and boards are afterwards 

 placed on top, and the crate thus charged is anchored in the 

 4 



