FLAX, PREPARATION OF. 



Some carry the flax, as soon as it is 

 dry, under a shed, and take ofT the 

 capsules with tiie seed by ripplmg, 

 vvliich is drawing' the flax through an 

 iron comb fixed in a block of wood : 

 the capsules, which are too large to 

 pass between the teeth of the comb, 

 are thus broken ofl", and fall into a 

 basket or cloth below. Sometimes, 

 if the capsules are brittle, the seed is 

 beaten out by means of a flat wood- 

 en bat. The bundles are held by the 

 root end, and the other end is laid on 

 a board and turned round with the 

 left hand, while the right hand with 

 the bat breaks the capsules, and the 

 linseed falls on a cloth below. The 

 flax is then immediately steeped, but 

 the most experienced flax-steepers 

 defer this operation till the next sea- 

 son. In this case it is put in barns, 

 and the seed is beat out at leisure in 

 winter. When flax is housed, care 

 must be taken that it be thoroughly 

 dry ; and if the seed is left on, which 

 is an advantage to it, mice must be 

 guarded against, for they are very 

 fond of linseed, and would soon take 

 away a good share of the profits by 

 their depredations. 



" Steeping the flax is a very impor- 

 tant process, which requires expe- 

 rience and skill to do it properly. 

 The quality and colour of the flax de- 

 pend much on the mode of steeping ; 

 and the strength of the fibre may be 

 injured by an injudicious mode of 

 performing this operation. The ob- 

 ject of steeping is to separate the 

 bark from the woody part of the 

 stem by dissolving a glutinous niat- 



f^ 



ter which causes it to adhere, and 

 also destroying some minute vessels 

 which are interwoven with the longi- 

 tudinal fibres, and keep them togeth- 

 er in a kind of web. A certain fer- 

 mentation or incipient putrefaction is 

 excited by the steeping, which must 

 be carefully watched and stopped at 

 the right time. The usual mode of 

 steeping is to place the bundles of 

 flax horizontally in shallow pools or 

 ditches of stagnant water, keeping 

 them under water by means of poles 

 or boards with stones or weights laid 

 upon them. Water nearly putrid was 

 supposed the most efficacious, and 

 the mud was often laid over the flax 

 to accelerate the decomposition ; but 

 this has been found to stain the flax, 

 so that it was very difficult to bleach 

 it or the linen made from it after- 

 ward. The method adopted by the 

 steepers of Courtray, where steeping 

 flax is a distinct trade, is different. 

 The bundles of flax are placed alter- 

 nately with the seed end of the one 

 to the root end of the other, the lat- 

 ter projecting a few inches ; as many 

 of these are tied together near both 

 ends as form a thick bundle about a 

 foot in diameter. A frame made of 

 oak rails, nailed to strong upright 

 pieces in the form of a box 10 feet 

 square and four deep, is filled with 

 these bundles set upright and closely 

 packed. The whole is then immers- 

 ed in the river, boards, loaded with 

 stones, being placed upon the flax till 

 the whole is sunk a little under the 

 surface of the water. The bottom 

 does not reach the ground, so that the 



Frame in which tlic flnx is park»»d to be steeped in the River Lys in FJandere. 



294 



