practice which calls for some consideration. In Ireland, they say, 

 "Do not put two successive lots of flax in the same water," while 

 in Belgium they are not so particular. And for twenty miles 

 along the river Lys the water is crowded with flax in the process 

 of retting, all summer, and is so thoroughly impregnated with the 

 results of flax fermentation that it becomes an ill flavored fluid, 

 both to the eye and nose. On Puget Sound, (where my investiga- 

 tions have been conducted), my experience shows that this is not 

 a matter of very great importance, as I have had flax retted with 

 only one lot in the same water and again on other occasions I 

 have had as many as three lots retted in the same water, success- 

 fully, and that too in a very small pool, without any great dif- 

 ference in the result. If you have a supply of soft warm water, 

 which you can draw from, at will, in some lake or stream at some 

 higher level so that you can run it into your retting pool or tank, 

 when required, and fill or empty them at pleasure, it will greatly 

 facilitate matters to set your dry straw in your retting tank and 

 weight it down before you let the water run in, and when the fer- 

 mentation has reached the proper stage, drain off the water before 

 moving the wet flax to their drying place and immediately fill your 

 empty retting tank with a fresh lot of dry flax, and turn on the 

 water again. The foregoing are at the base of the most success- 

 ful system of water retting yet discovered and embody the claims 

 of Merrs. Luppens and Deswartes' invention, the American patent 

 on which has now run out and it has become public property and 

 is free for general use. 



There are several modifications of the retting process, a few 

 of which only I will here describe, the best of which is the Lup- 

 pens & Deswarte of Neerpelt, Belgium. 



The special advantage of this system is that it supplies a sys- 

 tem of retting Flax, Hemp and Jute in running water without the 

 danger of contamination of the river and streams, which in thick- 

 ly settled districts of the United States would never be tolerated. 

 The upper part, which contains the flax to be retted, separated 

 from the lower part by an open floor. Its walls are vertical, and 

 means are provided to keep the flax straw suitably immersed. 

 These consist of cross beams working in vertical slides and ad- 

 justable at any required height. The lower part in which the 

 renewal of the water takes place is situated between the bottom 

 of the tank and the open floor. Fresh water is admitted by an 

 inlet just close beneath the open floor, and outlet for the used 

 water is made through the bottom. 



The flax straw is tied up in double sheaves, the root end of 

 one half along side of the top end of the other, and approximately 

 cylindrical in shape. These sheaves are placed on end on the 

 open floor moderately close and as regular as possible. Ordinary 

 straw is then spread over the top to keep off dust, or the effect 

 of weather, and boards are placed on this to equalize the pressure 

 of the cross beams to insure the straw being suitable submerged 

 when the tank is full and working. The tank is then filled by 

 opening the inlet and closing the outlet, and as the level of the 

 water rises, the straw rises also, till it is stopped by the crossbeams 



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