BELGIAN PEACTICE OF STEEPING. 289 



Lys has the highest repute, and we will therefore take 

 the practice followed in the Lys districts as the best 

 standard for comparison or example. 



This river, which rises in the north of France, and runs 

 throughWest Flanders, is celebrated throughout the greater 

 part of its course for its peculiar and excellent properties 

 for the purpose. It possesses a considerable depth of water, 

 with a very slow motion, both favouring a regularity of tem- 

 perature, upon which probably its high repute is mainly 

 based, as analysis 1 does not give any indications of its 

 constituents possessing any peculiar properties, or indeed 

 being different from those of other slowly-running streams. 

 The commencement of the "steeping" season is determined 

 by the temperature of the water ; towards the end of 

 April or beginning of May is the usual period, and it 

 lasts until the end of September, during which time the 

 work is'' in full operation, giving employment to a grgat 

 number of people. The whole process may be briefly 

 described as follows: The flax to be operated upon is 

 placed in " bundles" or sheaves, loosely bound on a sparred 

 frame, or crate, made for the purpose, from 12 to 15 feet 

 long, from 8 to 10 wide, and from 3 to 4 feet deep, the bars 

 being rounded off at the sides, and about 4 inches apart. 

 The bundles are arranged in rows, the butts of one coming 

 next to the heads of the others, the whole are then firmly 



1 Analysis of the water of the river Lys, by Dr. Hodges : 



Grs. 



One gallon contains of organic matter, 2 '86 



Inorganic matter, 19'67 



Solid substances, 22'53 



The inorganic or mineral matter consisted of 



Chloride of Sodium, T9 



Sulphate of Lime, 1'22 



Carbonate of Lime, 13'58 



Magnesia, T27 



Oxide of Iron, T13 



Silica, 0-8 



19-90 



