BELGIUM SYSTEM OF STEEPING FLAX. 3j 



Flax should be carefully lifted by the hand out on the bank, 

 where it should remain for twelve or twenty hours on the root 

 ends, to allow all the water to leave it, and care taken that 

 the water so drained be run into the second pond, to be 

 managed as I shall hereafter describe, and as light colour is 

 preferred, a few buckets of clean river water thrown upon it 

 before being removed to be spread on the grass would serve 

 the purpose. 



BELGIUM, OR COURTRAY SYSTEM OF 

 STEEPING FLAX STRAW. 



This method of softening the fibre, and getting rid of the 

 gum or resin which binds the fibre to the wood or pith on 

 which it is produced, cannot but be acknowledged as the best, 

 when we consider that no Flax comes into England, in point 

 of value, equal to Courtray Flax, and as I ''place my facts 

 before the public (not flimsy theories^ I shall show the oppor- 

 tunity I have had of judging of their practical value. 



During twelve years residence in Belfast, from 1830 to 

 1842, engaged in the selling of yarns, and the purchasing oi 

 Flax for English spinners, giving employment to from 1,500 

 to 2,000 weavers, making all kinds of linens, sheetings, drills, 

 damasks, and cambric, and turning over from 5,000 to 6,000 

 per month, in one bank (the Northern Bank), I had the best 

 opportunity that an individual could have of knowing the dif- 

 ference in the STKENGTH and VALUE of all kinds of Flax ; 

 and as we often had 1,000 weavers in the vicinity of Bally mena, 

 Ahogill, and Maghrafelt, making both light and heavy, fine 

 linen, and 1,200 weavers in Lurgan, Banb ridge, and Guilford, 

 making LINEN" DRILLS, DAMASKS, LAWNS, and cambric hand- 

 kerchief "s, I fearlessly assert that we never could get yarns 

 from any Flax but COURTRAY, spun above 70 lea, on which 

 we could depend for prime warp yarm. Our best supply was 



