246 



THE GENESEE FARMER 



August 5, 1831 



and sometimes fourteen days, according to 

 the state of the weather ; should occasional 

 rain fall during this time, it is considered of 

 great service to wash off the impurities and 

 withered leaves that attach to the plant when 

 ripening. 



Rippling. — When the flax is sufficiently 

 dried, it is carried to the barn, and the pro- 

 cess of taking off the seed immediately com- 

 mences ; this operation in the Netherlands 

 is chiefly done by ripples, or iron pins, about 

 sixteen inches long, and one inch square at 

 the bottom, gradually narrowing to the top, 

 and formed into squares: the pins are fas- 

 tened in a block of limber, above four indi- 

 es thick, eighteen inches wide, and made ill 

 the form of an octagon, the upper part slo- 

 ped off, so as to let the boles run down to the 

 floor ; those pins are set at about a quarter 

 of an inch asunder, thirty of them in each 

 block, wich is fastened by means of two sta- 

 ples and wedges, to a two-inch plank, that 

 rests on trestles of a sufficient height for 

 grown persons to sit on whilst rippling ; two 

 usually work at the same ripple, sitting op- j 

 posite each other, and drawing the flax al- 

 ternately through the teeth. During this 

 process, great care is taken not to let it slip 

 through the hands, so as to entangle the rout 1 , 

 ends, which in every process are kept as even 

 as possible. When the seed is discharged, ] 

 the flax is again made into small sheaves, 

 and, in every instance, bound together by 

 platted cords three-and-a-half feet long, 

 made of strong rushes, that usually last fori 

 years, and are carefully put up from one sea-! 

 son to another ; when the entire quantity of' 

 ll.ix prepared for rippling has undergone; 

 that operation, the boles are immediately run 

 through a very coarse screen, sufficiently 

 open to admit every particle of waste or dirt 

 to pass through, so that they remain free from 

 all impurities. The waste discharged in 

 this manner is used by bakers in healing ov- 

 ens, and the bole, by being thus cleaned, re- 

 mains safe, and the seed can be kept for any 

 time required. The mode most approved 

 of for taking the seed from the bole, is to 

 thrash it which is done by a flail, the handle 

 of which is similar to a common one, but 

 the working part is not more than half the 

 usual length, about four inches diameter; 

 the hulls, after the seed is discharged, are 

 sold at the rate of two pence the sack, for 

 feeding cattle in the winter ; they are chief- 

 ly bought by Brabant farmers, who mix 

 them with various other vegetables and car- 

 rots, which they grow with their flax, in 

 ground suitable; and I have seen in Bra- 

 bant particularly, numerous fields, with flax 

 stand to dry, and the peasantry weeding car- 

 rots that had grown with it, and which ap- 

 peared in a prosperous state. 



Steeping. — This process, being the most 

 import nit one which flax undergoes, and on 

 which its value, in a great measure depends, 

 claimed my most serious attention, and oc- 

 cupied me for a considerable time, in obser- 

 ving it in detail, as performed by various 

 sleepers, and with (lax the growth of differ- 

 ent places. In general the steeping pools in 

 Holland are similar to what are known in 

 Ireland as trenches of water to drain and di- 

 vide low grounds, such as abound in various 

 parts of the south and west provinces, par- 

 ticularly where the soil is best suited for the 

 growth of flax, and most like that of Holland 

 and Zealand. Those trenches in the sum- 

 mer months, are grown over with light grass 

 and weeds, which arc cut a little before stee- 



ping time, from the edges of the bank only, 

 leaving the middle of the trench undisturbed. 

 Previous to steeping, a sod or mud bank is 

 thrown across each end of that portion of (he 

 trench required, which is seldom more than 

 sixty to eighty yards. In making those banks 

 the mud for a distance of eleven or twelve 

 feet from each, is drawn with iron scrapers 

 from the bottom and middle of the trench, 

 and sloped against each of them, leaving a 

 space of water free from weeds and mud, 

 sufficient to put in a set of sheaves, and ad- 

 mit of a pool eight to ten feet between the 

 cross-bank and last layer of flax. The stee- 

 ping pool being thus prepared, a bundle of 

 sheaves is opened, and eight of them laid in 

 with small light forks, with which they are 

 as regularly placed, a- if laid with a line, 

 each sheaf being put down with the loot end 

 towards the bottom of the pool; when the 

 first layer is down, a second and third set of 

 eight sheaves is put in, the root end of every 

 layer meeting the bands of the former one, 

 and placed in an oblique direction. When 

 three layers, or twenty-four sheaves, (which 

 is always the number put in at a time,) are 

 laid, the steepers who are provided with scra- 

 pers and forks, draw from the bottom of the 

 trench, mud, slime, tcceds, fcc. &c. just as it 

 comes to hand, and which they place, to the 

 thickness of six to eight inches, on the flax, 

 leaving only as much of the last layer uncov- 

 ered, as may be sufficient to receive the first 

 layer of the next, and for which room is 

 made by the removal of the mud, slime, he. 

 used as a covering for the former layer. In 

 laying on the mud, great care is taken to 

 plaister it together, and so combine it as to 

 exclude the air and light completely from 

 the flax.* The entire quantity being thus 

 placed in the pool, nothing appears but a 

 surface of mud. The next operation is to 

 throw from that part of the trench not want- 

 ed, a sufficient quantity of water to cover the 

 enlire mass to the depth of six to eight inch- 

 es : although the mode of throwing the wa- 

 ter into the steeping pool is done by a simple 

 contrivance, it is nevertheless worthy of ob- 

 servation, as it abridges labor.and saves time, 

 points duly appreciated by the working clas- 

 ses in Holland. This business is performed 

 by means of a triangle made of slight poles, 

 placed across the trench near one of the 

 banks; from the centre of the triangle is sus- 

 pended by a slight chord, a shute or oblong 

 box capable of containing about five to six 

 gallons, and which lies a small depth in the 

 water; to the shute is attached a long han- 

 dle, with which the steeper works it, and 

 so throws the water into a cut made in one 

 corner of the cross bank, by which it is con- 

 veyed over the mud; when this is done, the 

 flax remains from six to lb* teen days, ac- 

 cording to its quality, the temperature of the 

 weather, and in some cases the properties of 

 the water and mud ; and I witnessed myself 

 the taking out flax giown in Holland and 

 Zealand, some of which had been steeped 

 in seven days, whilst others required four- 

 teen to prepare it. It is here necessary to 

 observe, that that the flax growers in the 

 Netherlands carefully watch the flax during 

 the steeping process, particularly after the 

 fifth day, when they once in every twentyfour 

 hours take out a sheaf with a fork, and exam- 

 ine it ; if not sufficiently steeped, it is care- 



*Only one set of layers of sheafs in depth is put in 

 each stooping pool at ;, time, it hemp I'ounil Injurious to 

 Uio flax to let tin- discharge of mucilage from 0710 par- 

 cel ul md wiih another, Ahnut one loot of water is in 

 tliv p^o! whon lac fljxis latu in. 



fully replaced and covered. When the flax 

 is found sufficiently steeped, it is drawn out 

 with great care by forks, beginning with the 

 sheafs last laid in, one sheaf only being taken 

 out at a time, which is turned over into the 

 water to disengage the mud from it, when it 

 is gently washed in the pool, and left at the 

 end of the cross bank for that purpose ; af- 

 ter washing, it is laid in rows by the side of 

 the pool to drain, from which it is spread on 

 the grass, where it remains until the cultiva- 

 tor finds it ready for breaking ; for this pro- 

 cess there is no defined time, every farmer 

 judging for himself when his flax should be 

 raised ; but it is the uniform practice in those 

 parts of the Netherlands and France where 

 I have been, to grass all flax after steeping; 

 no regaid whatever is paid to the situation ol 

 the steeping pools as to aspect; those which 

 1 1 saw in various places lay in every direc- 

 tion; nor did it appear to me to be of any 

 moment, in consequence of the total e.rclu 

 sion of the tight and air by the covering ot 

 mud, kc. When removing the flax from 

 i the field to the barn, or store, it is again made 

 into small sheaves nearly of an equal size, 

 twelve of which are bound together similar!) 

 to what they were when going to be stee- 

 ped. 



Drying. — Should the flax which has been 

 raised from the grass be found partially damp, 

 which often happens in Holland, it is dried, 

 or rather aired, on what is called a kiln, but 

 which is merely a brick building in an open 

 space, about twelve feet long, with a slight 

 brick wall in the centre, and projecting 

 walls at each end, about three and-an-hali 

 feet deep. The fire pit which runs the length 

 of the entire building, is from two to three 

 feet under the surface of the ground ; the fu- 

 el used is always the shoves and other waste 

 that drop in scutching, which is kept contin- 

 ually stirring, so as to throw a regular and 

 gentle heat to every part of the plant, which 

 lies across strong rods that rest on each end 

 of the projecting walls ; when the flax can 

 be cleaned without this process, it is so done ; 

 but, when necessary it is performed with the 

 greatest care : immediately after the flax is 

 sufficiently aired, it is put in a small build- 

 ing air-tight, where it remains until it cools : 

 putting flax in this building after airing, is, 

 I believe, what gave rise to the idea of its be- 

 ing stoved in Holland previous to cleaning, 

 as I could not learn, in the course of my in- 

 quiries on that subject, that such a practice 

 had ever existed. 



Breaking and Scutching. — In the Nether- 

 lands, flax is always broken and scutched by 

 Hand-Machines, for the most part with brea- 

 kers and scutchers, similar to those known 

 in many parts of England, where flax is 

 much grown, and known also in some parts 

 of Ireland. In one part of Flanders, a hand 

 machine, similar to that descibed in p. 6, is 

 used, and it appears to be very applicable 

 to those districts where Sax is grow n in small 

 quantities, and does not arrive to that length 

 and strength of staple, produced in the rich 

 grounds of many parts <>f Munster. In no 

 instance, however, could I discover thai any 

 kind of machinery worked by moving power 

 was ever used in Holland ; but it is worthy 

 of remark, that throughout the Netherlands, 

 the flax plant is so carefully attended to, in 

 every operation, that it breaks and dresses 

 wiih great facility, and comparative ease, 

 and presents a more finished and better ar- 

 ticle, than is to be found in most other coun- 

 tries. 



