FRAMES AND HOTBEDS 113 



straw to extend beyond the outside strings of mar- 

 Hn. For example, for a mat to cover a 6 x 6-foot 

 sash, eleven cleats will be used, giving ten seven- 

 inch spaces. The straw when trimmed, should 

 extend beyond the outside strings of marlin three 

 inches on each side. 



To begin operations, cut the tarred marlin into 

 lengths 3^ times the length of the mat. Fold 

 the marlin, to get the centre of the length, and with 

 the centre over the pole fasten it to two opposite 

 cleats. Repeat until you have a sufficient number 

 of strands fastened on the frame. This is the warp 

 in the weaving process. For convenience shorten 

 up the lengths of marlin by making loops on the 

 ends. 



With staples, tack the marlin to the pole. Sup- 

 port the frame at a convenient distance from the 

 floor or suspend from a beam overhead. Take a 

 handful of rye straw — the larger the handful, the 

 thicker the mat — and lay it across the strings of 

 marlin, heads toward the middle of the frame; 

 add enough straw to cross over all the strings, 

 and extend beyond the ends about a foot. Dis- 

 tribute the straw so that the strand is of uniform 

 thickness (a i3^-inch diameter gives a good, heavy 

 mat). Unfasten a length of the marlin — the centre 

 one Is the best to start with — cross over the ends, 

 pull taut and fasten again. Repeat, working 

 toward the ends, smoothing out the straw and 

 don't forget that putting the heads and loose 

 ends inside the strand makes a neater piece of work. 

 The weight of the mat as it hangs in the frame 



