260 ON HEMP. 



ficiently clean, and the fibres appear to be tolerably straight. He 

 then turns the Hemp, and performs the same operation on the top- 

 end as he had before done on the root-end ; for it is usual always to 

 scutch the root-end first. The workmen are too apt to slight the 

 middle of the handful ; but it should be equally well worked as the 

 extremities. When a handful has been well scutched throughout its 

 whole length, the workman lays it across the foot-board of the 

 frame, and then takes another, to be prepared in the same man- 

 ner. Lastly, when he has collected about thirty pounds of 

 scutched Hemp, they are tied up in bundles, and carried to the 

 hecklers. 



It is necessary to remark, that if the Hemp were not well ar- 

 ranged in the hands of the scutchers, a great many of the fibres 

 would be detached and rumpled ; and for this reason, steady atten- 

 tive workmen carefully arrange their Hemp before they begin to 

 scutch it : yet, notwithstanding this precaution, many of the fibres 

 fall to the ground during the operation. These are not, however, 

 lost ; for when a certain quantity is collected, they arrange it again 

 in handfuls, and scutch it separately ; so that there remains only the 

 worst part of the tow, vtfth which mattrasses were formerly stuffed ; 

 but having been found unfit even for that purpose, it is now used 

 only for making flambeaus, mops, &c. 



It requires more or less time to perform the operation of scutch- 

 ing, in proportion as the Hemp Js more or less clean, and free from 

 the boon. The quantity of waste occasioned by scutching likewise 

 depends upon the same circumstances. A good workman may 



scutch 



