■114 [Assembly 



In dressing flax, the first operation is to separate the fibre from 

 the core. This is now very expeditiously accomplished by 

 machinery, instead of the brake formerly made use of. If the 

 whole of the wood is not taken out, it will be necessary to scrape 

 it in small parcels on the knee with a dull knife. 



Hackling is the next operation to be performed. The hackle 

 is composed of steel teeth 4 or 5 inches long, made fast to a 

 bench. A lock of flax is then drawn across the tops of these. 

 This operation can likewise be performed by machinery. The 

 hackle must be modified according to the kind of cloth to be 

 made; whether cambric, linen, or lawn. The sx^inning of flax 

 by machinery was for years considered next to impossible, and it 

 is but very lately that they have succeeded in spinning it advan- 

 tageously. The machinery is necessarily more complicated than 

 for wool or cotton. The manufacturers of Leeds were the first 

 to effect this important object. 



They form the flax first into what they call roving ; and after 

 that into yarn ; and in spinning this they are obliged to pass it 

 through water, which wets the spinner's clothes, and is conse- 

 quently unpleasant. They divide a pound of flax into a certain 

 number of hanks — and the number of hanks gives the commer- 

 cial name to the number of the thread. Low numbers are made 

 use of for sacking and sail cloth ; from twenty to forty for sheet- 

 ing, table cloths, &c.; from sixty to one hundred for fine linens ; 

 and from one hundred and twenty-five to two hundred for 

 cambrics. 



Linen is the principal fabric manufactured from flax, and is 

 principally made use of for shirts, sheets, table-cloths, napkins, 

 &c. The fineness of the quality of linen is determined by the 

 length of the staple in a certain weight, and from the number of 

 threads found within a certain space of the weaving reed ; the 

 evenness of the thread and the closeness of the texture determines 

 the value of linen ; the surface should present to the eye a glossy 

 appearance of a perfectly white color. Without a magnifying 

 glass it is difficult to judge linen to a nicety, as the gloss may be 

 produced by starch. It is safer to buy undressed, rather than 

 dressed linen. Linens come to us from abroad under various 



