farmer 2 cents per 15., and t^e breakrag and cleaning cost a little" 

 less than 1 cent. This flax at 3 cents can be made into faif rope- 

 for less than two cents more, and he showed a sample of such 

 rope which can be m-ade for less than 5 cents per lb., now worth 

 in the market from 10 to 15 cents. Some rope has been made- 

 from this kind of flkx of exceeding: beauty. He also exhibited 

 samples from unrotted hemp, which he manufactured in Ken- 

 tucky at an' establishment which he set in operation, and which is 

 now working successfully, which has been, by a cheap process^ 

 so kyanized as not to decay when exposed to the weather. One' 

 sample had been so exposed for one year, and which, by exami- 

 nation, showed the fibre uninjured by decay. He showed, alsoy, 

 samples of excellent twine made from unrotted flax, which he- 

 said could be manufactured for 10 cents, and worth 25 and 30' 

 cents per lb. Flax fibre costs less than hemp, as the seed alone- 

 pays the farmer well where the straw is thrown away, as is often 

 done at the West. In producing hemp fibre no seed is saved. 

 Dr. Lw then called tlie attention of the club to samples of flax 

 and hemp having the gluten and other extraneous matter removed 

 by a new process — chemical and mechanical means combined. 

 He stated that refining and bleaching flax before spinning was not 

 a new idea — that it had often been attempted before but without 

 success, on account of various obstacles which he had been able 

 to overcome. It had been tried in England and on the continent 

 of Europe many years ago. There was no difficulty in purifying 

 the fibre of flax or hemp before spinning by a half dozen proces- 

 ses. But the usual modes have been too expensive, and whei^ 

 dried, the fibres have been so matted together that, in attempting 

 to heckle out for working in the usual way nearly all goes to tow^ 

 By any mode of purifying and refining flax fibre before spinuingy, 

 the fibre will be so fine^iy divided that all attempts to heckle flax 

 the full length will fail. And any attempt to work the flax as 

 &hurt line, if heckled on the usual plan, either by hand or by 

 machinery, will fail. He stated that he had adopted a very cheap 

 and efficacious mode of refining flax, using very simple and cheap 

 chemicals and machinery — that he had a method of drying so that 

 the fibres were not matted together; andby a newly-invented 

 machine, all the trash and fi,bres, less than two- inches long, were 



