118 STEEPING AND GRASSING, 



and formed into what are called caps, not unlike soldiers' 

 tents. The rapidity with ^vhich this operation is performed 

 is perfectly astonishing ; for in a few minutes a whole field will 

 assume the appearance of a Lilliputian camp. By this means 



the stalks are quickly dried, collected into bundles, and sent 

 home. Where the process of bleaching or grassing is con- 

 ducted by the owner at his leisure — that is to say, if not con- 

 venient to prepare the flax for market immediately, — it is 

 carefully stacked till the following spring, a delay that con- 

 siderably enhances its value, particularly with respect to 

 colour. On these accounts the system of steeping flax one 

 year and of grassing it the next, is now extensively adopted in 

 those parts; a sjstem that will, I thinks be found best suited 

 to the general routine of farm-business in this country. 



I had some flax steeped in w^ater, approved by the Belgians, 

 several miles from my own house, according to the above plan ; 

 and found in this, as in every other department, the superiority 

 of their practice. I shall, therefore, in future, send my best 

 .-flax to any distance rather than risk its value at home. 



The following letters mil be found thoroughl}' corroborative 

 of the above statement, and extremely valuable. They w^ere 

 forwarded to me by Mr. MacAdam, secretary to the Royal 

 Flax Improvement Society of Ireland, and ought to have ap- 

 peared in the first edition of this w^ork, but were unfortunately 

 mislaid. 



