14 



the seed (linseed) is usually performed by means of an iron comb 

 consisting of teeth 18 inches long, set upright upon a board or 

 form. The stems are taken in double handfuls, grasped tightly, 

 and drawn through the spikes several times until the " bolls" have 

 been removed. Xext comes the retting or steeping process, which 

 facilitates the separation of the fibre from the "boon," or woody 

 part of the stem, and decomposes or dissolves the gummy sub- 

 stance which holds the filaments together. The duration of 

 retting varies according to the nature of the crop and temperature 

 of the water; if warm, submersion for four or five days and nights 

 may suifice ; but if cold, a much longer period will be necessary 

 before fermentation ensues. Flax not intended for stacking 

 is usually placed in steep the same day it is pulled, and should 

 not be mixed with the pulling of the following day. The sheaves 

 or bundles are put into the water, roots downwards, in rows close 

 together, and kept submerged by weighted planks or inverted 

 grass sods. Various methods of retting are practised, such as 

 dew -retting — the system adopted in Russia; retting by steam and 

 hot water, &c. Machinery has been invented for separating the 

 fibre without retting, known as the "dry process." The old 

 method, however — "water-retting" — just described, may be 

 effected in creeks, rivers, ponds, or dams, and, being considered 

 the best, is the plan usually adopted by farmers. River water is 

 supposed to be good, but brackish water or water containing lime- 

 are to be avoided, because they not only delay fermentation but 

 ruin the fibre. A pond 50 feet long, 9 feet wide, and 4 feet deep 

 will ret the produce of an acre. Ponds should be dug in clay or 

 hard soil, and be so constructed that the water can be readily let 

 out. Water in which flax has been steeped is poisonous, and 

 gives out a most intolerable odour, caused by the mucilage; 

 nevertheless, it is a most valuable manure, and, according to some 

 acknowledged authorities on flax culture, should be returned to the- 

 soil. With regard to knowing exactly when the flax has been 

 sufficiently steeped (for to allow it to remain a few hours too long 

 in the pond or dam will depreciate the value of the fibre), the- 

 progress of the operation must be tested occasionally by selecting 

 a few stalks of average thickness from bimdles in various parts of 

 the pond, and by twisting them in opposite directions, or pulling 

 the fibre gently from the end along the entire length of the stem; 

 if it feel slimy and peel readily, the flax is sufficiently retted. 

 When the bundles have been taken out of the water, they are set 

 on end, roots downward, placed loosely together, and allowed to 

 drain for a few hours, after which (same day) they are untied, and 

 spread out evenly in thin layers on clean short grass, and turned 

 over frequently for several days till perfectly dry. In Belgium 

 and Holland flax is frequently dried in the field prior to retting. 

 Breaking and scutching, which removes the fragments of wood or- 



