STUDIES ON FLAX RETTING. 
45 
2. In case the water is not changed, the loss of weight in the total stem 
is about 13 - 15 % or about 1 % less than that in the common water retting. 
3. The loss of weight due to the extractive power of water is about 
55 - 60 % of total loss. 
4. The greater part of the loss takes place before the end of first period 
of retting. 
2. Composition of Flax Stem and their 
Changes in Retting. 
Investigations on the composition of flax and their changes involved in 
retting are but few. In 1854 Hodges 1 ) determined the chief constituents of 
flax fiber and found 82 . 5 % of cellulose, and 7 . 6 % of sugar, gums and pection 
compounds. Omelianski 2 ) reported in 1904, results of his investigations 
concerning the amounts of pectin compounds and cellulose in the retted as well 
as in the control flax stem. For the study of pectin compounds, he treated 5 
grams of the stem with alcohol for half an hour, washed with water and the 
residue was then extracted with 250 c. c. of 2 % hydrochloric acid solution for 
half an hour. To the extracts was added an equal volume of strong alcohol, to 
precipitate the pectin compounds. In the extract obtained from the control 
stem some precipitate of pectin compounds was formed but none in that from 
retted stem. It is evident from his results that the pectin compounds suffer 
decomposition in retting process. On the other hand, the amount of cellulose 
seems to remain unchanged. In his determination of cellulose he took 3 grams 
of sample and mixed with 500 c.c. of Schweitzer’s reagent. After standing for 
5 days it was filtered through glass wool filter and precipitated with dilute 
hydrochloric acid. The precipitate was washed with water, dried and 
weighed. From the control stem 0.6959 grams of cellulose was obtained, 
while in the retted stem 0.6979 grams of cellulose was found. 
1) — Hodges. Chemical gazette. (Des. 1854). 
2) — Omelianski. Centr. bl. f. Bakt. II Abt. Bd. 12. p. 33. 
