i7^ 



one, two, or four. To this trougli mufl be fitted two 

 pieces of plank, of about a foot length, but of fuch width 

 as to ftretch over a bundle of the hemp as it lies open in 

 the water : Thefe planks muft be fet on one fide with 

 teeth of brafs wire, and when the hemp is ready for draw- 

 ing, muil be laid on it as it lies in the water, to keep it 

 ilraight and immerged. 



If you work the hemp on a table, you muft, before 

 taking it out of the water, open a little the bundles, 

 and rub the ftems between your hands to get off what 

 you can of the llime, and to loofen the rind. You mud 

 iikewife pufh the bundle along in the water, with the loofe 

 end foremod, to loofen the rind at that end where the op- 

 eration is to be bescun. If vou do not thus rub and fcour 

 your hemp in the water where you foak it, you muft do ic 

 in the trough. But in either cafe you mufh be careful to 

 keep an even and ileady hand to avoid breaking the reed, 

 which, as many times as it happens, renders the operation 

 of getting the reeds out tedious. If it is wrought on the 

 table, the bundle muftbe frequently though flightly wet-, 

 ted. If any fuitable method could be taken to make 

 ivater drip gently on it, it would be beft. A plank mull 

 be laid on the bundle to keep it fteady. 



All matters being properly difpofed, either on the ta- 

 ble or in the trough, you muft begin at the root end to pulh 

 back a little of the rind from the ftem ; then taking hold 

 of one ftem at a time, and rather near the outfide than the 

 middle of the bundle, keep your hand and the reed under 

 water (if you work in a trough) and draw it out from the 

 bundle as ftrait as poffible, you will find it come out as 

 clean as a fword from its fcabbard. As you proceed, you 

 may take two, afterwards four, up to fix or more reeds at 

 a time, which will draw out ftill more eafily. When you 

 have drawn out ail the reeds that you can find at the 

 root end, lift up the fpiked plank which was at the upper 

 end, leaving on that which v>^as in the middle, and draw 

 out fuch pieces of reed as you may find at the upper end, 

 End v/hich have remained after drawing out what you 

 could at the root end, becaufe they were broken, LaflU', 

 take off the plank which lay on the middle, and take out 

 all ihe relicks of reed you can peixeive. If your hemp 



was 



