THE COTTON PLANT. 



405 



as to strike in a slanting direction on tlie flax, 

 imitating as mucli as possible the action of the 

 hand-scutcher. 



It is evident that this process cannot wholly 

 free the fibrous parts from the smaller pieces of 

 the reed, or from the gummy substance which 

 stUl adheres to the filaments. To effect the en- 

 tire disengagement of all extraneous matter, and 

 to disentangle the fibres from between them- 

 selves, recourse is had to another operation called 

 heckling. 



The heckle is a square frame of hard wood, 

 studded with rows of sharp-pointed iron pins, 

 about four inches in length, half an inch in cir- 

 cumference and an inch apart from each other. 

 The teeth are set in rows, disposed in a quincunx 

 order. By this arrangement they more effectu- 

 ally divide the flax than if they were placed 

 square; the teeth in that case would scarcely 

 produce a better effect than a single row. Coarse 

 or fine heckles are employed according to the 

 quality of the flax ; a coarse one is generally first 

 used to disentangle the filaments, and then a 

 finer one gives to them the last degree of pre- 

 paration. 



The heckle is firmly fixed to a bench before 

 the workman, who, grasping a handful of flax 

 in the middle, draws first one side and then the 

 other through the teeth, till the whole is freed 

 from all extraneous matter, and presents a series 

 of smooth distinct filaments. Though this ope- 

 ration IS apparently so simple, much practice and 

 skill are required to perform it with little waste, 

 and to produce even and continuous fibres. 



Flax for cambric and fine lawn is dressed in a 

 more delicate manner. After only slightly un- 

 dergoing the process of scutching, it is not then 

 consigned to the teeth of the heckle, but is merely 

 scraped and cleansed with a blunt knife, on a 

 soft skin of leather ; thence it is carried to the 

 spinner, who, with a brush made for the pur- 

 pose, dresses each parcel previously to spinning 

 it. 



An account was published some years ago, in 

 Sweden, of a method used in preparing flax so as 

 to superadd all the finer qualities of cotton to 

 those of linen fibres. The plants were boiled 

 for many hours in a mixture Of sea- water, birch 

 ashes, and quicklime ; then washed in the sea; 

 and being subsequently rubbed and cleansed with 

 soap, were laid out to bleach. By this process 

 the flax lost one-half of its weight ; but it is 

 said that its superior quality more than compen- 

 sated for the deficiency in quantity. 



Berthollet likewise made experiments in 

 bleaching flax, and succeeded in giving to its 

 fibres the whiteness and softness of cotton. He 

 subjected it to the action of chlorine, which in- 

 deed bleached it effectually, but at the same time 

 injured its fibre ; and although a thread was pro- 

 duced from it of considerable tenacity, j^et this 



was a most troublesome operation, in consequence 

 of the shortness of staple. 



It was found that this chemical bleaching pro- 

 cess had the remarkable property of reducing the 

 finest flax and the coarsest hemp alike to one 

 uniform fineness of fibre and colour, and that 

 even the refuse from rope-walks might thus be 

 made into a substance valuable in the arts. 



The produce from the flax plant is extremely 

 uncertain in quantity. It is affected by differ- 

 ence of soil and season, as well as by the degree 

 of carefulness bestowed on its cultivation and 

 preparation ; these different circumstances caus- 

 ing a variation of from 280 to 980 lbs. per acre ; 

 but the average crop in the same area may be 

 estimated at 560 to 700 lbs. of clean fibre avail- 

 able for spinning and weaving. 



The quantity of seed produced from an acre of 

 ground averages from six to eight bushels; some- 

 times, however, an acre yields ten or twelve 

 bushels. 



The Cotton Plant (gossypium). Natural 

 family mafoacecey monodelpMa, polyandria, Lin- 

 nfeus. There are several distinct species of cot- 

 ton plants, and a great many varieties. Some 

 are herbaceous annuals, others shrubs of three or 

 four feet in height, and others again reach the 

 size of trees of fifteen to twenty feet in height. 

 The stems are smooth or hairy; leaves either 

 three or five lobed, vine-shaped, cordate, blunt, 

 or lanceolate. The blossom is large, with yel- 

 low or white petals, and a purplish centre; and 

 to this succeeds an acuminated pod, which, on 

 coming to maturity, bursts, and displays a pro- 

 fusion of white or yellowish down that forms 

 the cotton of commerce. In the centre of this 

 down are contained the seeds, varying in num- 

 ber from ten to thirty, according to the species, 

 of a dark brown colour, and of an oleaginous na- 

 ture. 



The early history of the cotton plant is in- 

 volved in obscurity, nor can we now ascertain 

 in what region of the globe it was first cultivated 

 and applied to purposes of domestic use. Hero- 

 dotus, who had travelled into Egypt, and was 

 familiar with its productions, does not describe 

 the cotton plant as existing there, but gives some 

 obscure hints of such a plant being in use in 

 India. The inhabitants of India, says he, pos- 

 sess a kind of plant which, instead of fi-uit, pro- 

 duces wool of a finer and better quality than 

 that of sheep ; of this the natives make their 

 clothes. When describing the corslet of Amasis, 

 he accordingly designates cotton under the name 

 of tree- wool, a combination of terms which the 

 Germans use for the same substance at this 

 day. His particularly detailing the linen gar- 

 ments of the Egyptians, and their mode of weav- 

 ing linen cloth, as differing from that of the 

 Greeks, while he omits all mention of the manu- 

 facture of cotton garments, would lead us to sup- 



