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The object, then, of steeping in water will now be readily 
understood ; it consists in softening and ultimately dissolving 
out this glutinous gummy matter, and by fermentation break- 
ing up small vessels that are interwoven like a net with the 
long fibres ; a sort of putrefaction or decay is induced, so 
that each portion should readily yield its constituents — 
thus, the gum, sugar, and juices, by solution and fermenta- 
tion, are dissipated from their original vessels, and the long 
fibres are capable of being separated from each other, and 
from the woody cylinder, still strong enough to keep them 
together, but not brittle enough to injure these natural 
threads. 
In early times there seems but little doubt that the flax 
was pulled at once from the dried stems and woven into 
threads ; but use, and time, and damp, would soon show the 
presence of the rough and gummy matter, and to avoid 
inconvenience from this seemed to be a first stage. Flax 
has at different times been proposed to be used in the dry 
way, but except for coarse purposes it presents objections ; 
the fibres are bound together by a glutinous matter that 
cuts when dry, and irritates, and also attracts by moisture 
dusty matters, thus making articles of a thread nature variable 
in quality, offering inconveniences, and subject to damp. 
We can now understand that water, aided by a moderate 
temperature, and without the violence of a stream, can 
readily dissolve out these matters which by fermentation 
mostly become gaseous, or combining with carbonaceous 
and earthy matters, form a slime. This is probably the 
reason why certain waters are preferred, and the freer 
from earthy impurities the better ; and if a current at all, 
one so gentle that the bulk of the flax and the fermenta- 
tion would disengage the juices and the gases : thus, in 
fair soft water the fibres readily separate from each other, 
and have a silky feel ; they are capable of being more 
