ON HEMP. 



275 



of the Hemp among the teeth of the heckle, until his hand nearly 

 touches the teeth.* 



By this operation the Hemp is cleared from the reedy particles 

 and dust : it is straightened and rendered finer, and those parts which 

 were entangled or broken remain in the heckle, as likewise a part 

 of the roots; the remainder of the roots are disengaged by twisting 

 them round the twitch-pin, and breaking them off with a powerful 

 twitch or jerk. The workman repeats this operation till he leaves no 

 more roots adhering to the end of the handful of Hemp he is 

 preparing: having then drawn it twice through the heckle, this part 

 of the handful of Hemp is finished. 



He then proceeds to heckle the top-end in the like manner, 

 except that it is only necessary to break off some of the fibres which 

 exceed the others in length. 



The thick end should be heckled first, because the roots, when 

 entangled or twisted round the teeth, render it necessary that the 

 heckler should pull with a force, to which the strength of Hemp 

 that had before been heckled and rendered fine, could not resist; 

 and for this reason, all good workmen hold the Hemp pretty near 

 the roots, because the fibres thence gradually decrease in size, and 

 become proportionably weaker. 



n n 2 It 



* In doing this (after four or five strokes) he should break off the ends of 

 the Hemp to render them even. This is done by twisting the ragged ends round a 

 twitch-pin, which is a stout iron pin fixed by the side of the heckle. This is some- 

 times done with the teeth of the heckle, but is apt to bend them. 



