252 ALCOHOL, VINEGAR, SAUER KRAUT, TOBACCO, SILAGE, FLAX 
weights, and left to ferment. It undergoes a fermentation that 
converts it into an acceptable food for cattle. Its value lies in 
the fact that it is a means of utilizing what would otherwise be a 
waste product. It is of little significance in this country. 
THE RETTING OF FLAX AND HEMP 
Linen is made from the long tough fibers that are found be- 
neath the bark of the flax plant. In the plant they are firmly 
bound together, and with the wood and bark make a solid mass, 
glued together by a substance called pectin. To remove these 
fibers so that they may be woven into linen, this pectin must be 
disposed of in some way. The method by which this has been 
accomplished from time immemorial is by “retting.”” The flax 
is tied up in bundles and immersed in the water of a stream or in 
vats. Here it remains until the water bacteria have pretty 
thoroughly rotted or “‘retted” it. By the decomposing action 
of these bacteria, the pectin is dissolved and the fibers in the 
flax stem are loosened from their connection with the other 
parts of the plant. A little combing over properly constructed 
teeth separates the fibers from each other, and gives the desired 
product for spinning and weaving. The separation of the flax 
fibers has practically always been done in this way. The bacteria 
concerned have been isolated from the retting flax and obtained 
in pure cultures, and it is found that they are able to produce the 
result when inoculated upon flax in pure culture. Hitherto no 
substitute for this bacterial action has been found that will 
satisfactorily replace the natural retting. It is quite possible 
that some chemical means may be found that will replace the 
bacterial process. Indeed, certain secret processes are now in 
use that are based upon chemical methods and are claimed to 
give uniform results in a much shorter time than the ordinary 
retting. How soon these may replace the agency of bacteria 
in the linen industries cannot be predicted. 
Hemp is prepared from the hemp plant by a means essentially 
similar to the retting of flax, 
