CROPS IN THE EARLY DAYS 



to be taken up roots and all and buried in earth in the 

 cellar through the winter and only pulled up when you 

 want some of it to use." 



A crop of the greatest importance, though one sel- 

 dom raised now, was flax. Its culture was considered 

 so important that the government directed that it be 

 raised by each farmer, being sown in May and ready to 

 pull by the last of July. A more beautiful sight than 

 a field of blossoming flax, as blue as the heavens, can 

 hardly be imagined. Although the flax was so quickly 

 grown, yet its preparation for household use was slow 

 and tedious. It was pulled by the roots and then ripped ; 

 that is, the seed pods were combed off by a ripple comb. 

 These pods and seeds were caught on a sheet to 

 furnish seed for another season. Rippling was done in 

 the field and then the stalks were tied by the blossom 

 ends and dried. When dry they were put in running 

 water and left till the leaves rotted off, a process that 

 took only a few days. This was called retting the flax. 

 After retting it was dried and tied in bundles and then 

 broken on the heavy flax brake to separate the fibers. 

 This was very heavy work, properly belonging to the 

 men of the farm. After breaking, it was "scutched or 

 swingled" to take out the bark. The swingling had to 

 be done on a dry day, and from the coarse refuse which 

 was taken out, sacking could be made. Then the flax 

 was ready to be hetcheled. This process consisted in 



£371 



