Agricultural MUskuM 127 



t^isla-J; oporation, great care should be taken to keep 

 it straigiit, and a!I the root ends one way, and that it be 

 housed us dry as possible. 



Gth. Of Breeding. For this operation the Flax should 

 be perfectly dry, and for which purpose we frequently 

 air it a little on a rack over a gentle fire ; much firing 

 will damage it. Of Flax of good quality, perfectly rot- 

 ted and in good order, I have had upwards of 1001b. 

 broke by one hand in a day, who the next day has 

 iikntched or cleaned it from the hards, producing 25 to 

 30 lbs. fit for the hackle, or for market. Somelithes con- 

 siderably more is done in a day, frequently less according 

 to the quality of the Flax, and (he manner of preparing it. 

 7th Of Hackling and Combing. To persons unac- 

 iquainted, th.s part of the business may seem a very sim- 

 ple operation ; but in fact, it requires as much practice to 

 be perfect in tliat art, as any other operation in the whole 

 manufacture of linen. Two hackles are necessary, a 

 coarse and a liner; the teeth of both should be extreme- 

 ly sharp ; and they should be kept bright and well po- 

 lished. The mystery of hackling consists chiefly in 

 knowing how to play the Flax on the points of the teeth 

 6f the hackle, and never suf^.ering it to sink down among 

 the teeth in the manner of combing, in which case great 

 Waste would ensue, and much of the better part pass off 

 among the tow, but by keeping fast hold of the Flax near 

 the n\iddle, and t^autiously drawing and working it over 

 the points of the teeth, th«i fibres of the Fiax are split and 

 rendered fine. The operator ought to hackle but a ve- 

 ry small quantity at a time, holding it near the middle 

 very firmly. Flax for the stoutest linen ought to be 

 passed slightly through the coarse hackle, and about one 

 fourth taken out ; and then for linen of finer quality, 

 or for shoe or sewing thread, hackled over on the finer 

 hackle, taking out nearly another fourth ; to render 

 the flax extremely fine, and to make but a small quan- 

 tity of tow will discover the skill of the hacklcr. The 

 tow which is extracted from the second hackling be. 

 ing of a better quality, should be kept separate froix\ 



