234 Cellulose 



In regard to the localisation of these compounds in the 

 flax fibre, it is evident that they are associated with the cuticular 

 tissue, which inference is directly confirmed by analyses of a 

 waste product of the spinning mill ('preparing' process) known 

 as * hackler's ' dust. Hackling is a process of combing the 

 fibre, and the dust which accumulates in the treatment, when 

 examined microscopically, is seen to consist, for the most part, 

 of the cortical parenchyma and cuticular tissue. A specimen 

 of this product was found to contain 7*3 p.ct. mineral* con- 

 stituents (ash) and 14-5 p.ct. moisture. Alcohol and ether 

 extracted 117 p.ct. of its weight (15 p.ct. calculated on the 

 dry, ash-free substance), the extract having the same general 

 characters as that obtained from the flax itself. Extracted 

 with petroleum ether, the proportion dissolved amounted to 

 8*4 pet. (10 p.ct. on the dry, ash-free substance). Estima- 

 tions of nitrogen in the original substance gave (i) 1*8 p.ct., 

 (2) 2'i p.ct, of which one-sixth existed in the form of ammonia 

 or amido-compounds. 



Lastly, in reference to this complex of cuticular by-products, 

 it must be remembered that the flax plant is subjected to the 

 retting or rot-steeping process, as a preliminary to the 

 mechanical treatments for separating the fibre (bast) from the 

 stem. The characteristics of the resulting spontaneous fermen- 

 tation are those of butyric fermentations. In such decomposi- 

 tions, of course, the wax- alcohols and ethers can take no part, 

 but the oily products of lower molecular weight (acids and 

 ketones) are no doubt in part formed as products of decom- 

 position of a parent substance susceptible of this species of 

 hydrolysis. The entire subject requires extended investigation. 

 Systematic research would, of course, localise the substance 

 whether cellular tissue or cell contents undergoing this parti- 

 cular decomposition, and the result would throw direct light 

 upon the origin of fatty substances in the normal living pro- 



