DIB FLAX. 13 



feet. The fibres obtained from the base of the leaves are stiff, strong 

 and horse-hair like, and are known in commerce as Ejow fibres. 

 Dr. Forbes Royle says : " Mr. Kyd, the celebrated shipbuilder of 

 Calcutta, possessed a cable made of Ejow fibre which he had for four 

 years exposed to all weathers and which raised the bow anchor of a 

 merchant ship of 500 tons buried in the sands of Hoogly, in two 

 previous attempts at which three Russian hempen cables had given way. 

 Besides making strong and durable cordage, the Ejow fibre is no doubt 

 applicable to a variety of purposes for which horse-hair and bristles are 

 now employed." 



As a plant yielding brush-making fibre it has gained a good reputation, 

 and the same may be said of it for upholstery purposes. It is a native of 

 the Asiatic Islands, and was introduced into England as an ornamental 

 palm in 1830. 



Flax or Linen. The flax fibre of commerce is obtained from the 

 stem of Linum usitatissimum. The plant is grown in some quantity in 

 England, Ireland and Scotland, but the principal countries for its 

 cultivation are France, Belgium, Holland, Russia, America and Canada. 



The portion used in commerce is the bast tissue situated between 

 the bark and the hard or woody tissue. The characteristic features of 

 the fibres are their length, strength, fineness and colour. The fibres of 

 flax vary with the tapering character of the stem, and become finer 

 towards the apex. Their length varies from 0*157 inch to 2*598 inches 

 and the diameter from 0*0006 inch to 0*00148 inch. The tapering 

 character of flax fibres outwardly and the polyangular and fistulose 

 character inwardly are well marked microscopical features of the fibres. 

 The fibres are tenacious, thick-walled and flexible when used for 

 spinning purposes and for linen manufacture. 



The adhesion of the hard tissue to the bast fibres of flax necessitates 

 the stems being macerated in running water to separate the bast from the 

 cortical layer. 



Chemical Characters. By treatment with boiling alcohol, from 3*4 

 to 3*6 per cent, of extractive matter may be obtained from flax, a 

 portion (about half) is deposited on cooling. This substance has the 

 properties of a wax alcohol, and investigation shows it to be ceryl 

 alcohol C 2r H 55 OH. There are also present small quantities of other 

 bodies of a ketonic character. It is the presence of this wax alcohol 

 that causes the bleaching of flax to be so difficult, as it very strongly 

 resists the action of alkalies. 



Cold alcohol extracts from flax a quantity of matter (about 1*5 

 per cent.), which appears to have a complex composition, containing 

 chlorophyll and products derived therefrom, a little ceryl alcohol, and 



