374 



On the Cultivation of Flax. 



middle of July, they are nearly globular, consisting of cells 

 ending in a point; each boll contains about seven to ten pickles 

 of seed, which consist at first of a whitish film, enclosing a 

 watery pulp ; by degrees this becomes solid, and the seed changes 

 in colour to a pale-green. When this occurs it will be necessary 

 to examine the seeds daily, as their state is one of the best 

 criterions of the state of readiness for pulling of the crops. The 

 Dutch mode of ascertaining this is as follows : — a full-grown 

 stem is selected, and the ripest capsule is cut horizontally with a 

 sharp knife ; if the interior of the seed-pickles is then found to 

 be firm, and of a dark-green, the flax is considered fit for pulling. 

 The entire plant will be observed to show signs of maturity ; the 

 stalk close to the ground has assumed a yellow colour and 

 hardened considerably, denoting the contraction of the vessels 

 through which the sap was conveyed. If allowed to stand some 

 days longer, the colour will be seen to change by degrees up the 

 stem, until it reaches the bolls, all the sap having then reached the 

 seeds and perfected them. Soon after this the plant sheds its 

 seed and dies ; but it must be pulled at the earlier stage before 

 noted, to secure the perfection of the fibre, since, after the juices 

 of the stem have been exhausted, the flax becomes coarser, 

 drier, and of a much inferior quality ; whereas, by pulling 

 earlier, it is found silky and elastic. Long experience has shown 

 early pulling to be the most profitable ; for, although the seeds 

 have not become fully matured, yet, if dried slowly, they will 

 absorb from their integument a sufficiency of sap to render them 

 of a certain degree of ripeness, although, of course, not so plump 

 as in the other method. 



If the flax be of different lengths, owing to a mixture of seed 

 or inequalities in the land, each length should be pulled up 

 separately. This can be effected by the pullers catching the 

 stems just underneath the seed-bolls, which allows the shorter 

 stalks to escape, and they can be taken at a second pulling. 

 These two lengths must be kept separate in all the subsequent 

 operations; the reason for this is because a great waste occurs 

 when both are pulled and steeped together, as the shorter stems 

 continually fall out of the bundles ; and when the flax is scutched 

 they are knocked away and lost among the refuse and tow. 

 The handfuls of flax, as pulled, should be laid separately on the 

 ground, taking care that the butt-ends be struck against it two or 

 three times to keep them even. 



Three courses for the future treatment of the plant are now 

 open for choice : — 



1st. The flax may be rippled immediately after pulling, and 

 steeped at once. 



