424 On the Modes of Culture and Preparation of Flax, 
branches of alder are placed in the ditches a considerable time 
before the steeping season and allowed to decompose. The water 
is stirred with poles, the alder branches removed, and the flax 
packed in, then covered with straw, and sods put on the top of 
all. When the retting is completed, the flax is spread on the 
grass, as in Ireland. 
Until recently, scutching was all done in Belgium by hand ; 
but now mill-scutching is getting more into use. Owing to 
the excellent condition of the flax the handles used for mill- 
scutching are very light, and produce a minimum amount of 
tow. After the flax is passed through the mill it is carefully 
hand-dressed and combed by experienced hands. The mills are 
kept free from dust by boxing in the handles, and carrying off 
the dust by a series of fans placed in a chamber and attached to a 
lying shaft, which is driven by the steam-engine that is in the 
mill for driving the other machinery. 
The culture and preparation of flax in Holland is prosecuted 
in much the same manner as in the blue districts in Belgium. 
The operation of retting, however, is more concentrated, the 
flax being conveyed from where it is grown, in barges to the 
farmer's homestead. The saving of seed receives special atten- 
tion, and the flax, as pulled, is tied in beets and stooked (Fig. 7) 
Fig. 7. — A Dutch stock of Flax. 
till dry enough to be stored in stacks or barns. The seed is 
removed by rippling combs before being retted, which is done 
in stagnant ditches, which have been previously cleaned out, 
and the mud so removed is used to cover the flax after being 
placed in the ditches. After being retted, the flax is spread 
upon the grass, if the weather is favourable ; but if broken, it 
is dried in cones. The handling of the flax-crop receives as 
much care as in Belgium, and the scutching is principally done 
by hand-labour ; and the preliminary operation of breaking is 
effected mainly by breakers moved by steam-power. 
The country which produces the greatest amount of flax is 
Russia, the area annually devoted to this crop being estimated 
