1000000030

F L A

'1~,

Sml.

'the ndX

\'alu~olc \~lQn

the fced,

,it uught by no mc:,n!

II~

!¡cd

for its own

11Itu...

juiee :lllills it

&re~tly

in the warering: where·.

11,

if kept long un\VAlered, it lofes that juiee,

~nd

the

h.r/e adheres fo much to the boon, t"at it requi ..es

longer time to

w~ter,

and eVen the quality of Ihe O.x

bccomel Ihereby

h~IOler

a,ld eoarfer. Befides, Ihe nax

'¡¡"kcd up o\'er'year, is in greal danger from verolin

2nd olher aeeidenls

the

w~ler

in fpring i, not fo fofe

and warm al in harvefl

and ncar ayear is thereby lofl

of Ihe ufe of the linl: but if the 8ax be fo (hOrt and

branchy as

appc~r

mofl valuable for feed, it oughl,

"rter pulling, eo be flooked and dried upon Ibe field, as

i,done wirh eorn, Ihen (Iaekcd up for wimer, rippled

in fpring, and after Oleeling lhe feed Ihuuld be weU

cleantd frombatl feeds,

&c.

Of R(D/ling

Fl AX.

Arter pulling, if che fla)( is

regarded more than che fted. it (hould be allnwed tO

li. fome hours uron the gruund eo dry a liule,

~nd

tain fome lirmnefs, tOprevent Ihe nein or har/e, "hieh

i, the 8.x, from rubbing off in the rippling; an opera–

lion whieh ought by no means to be nealeéled, as Ihe

bolls, il pUt into the water along \'Iith the Hax, breed

vermin Iltere, and otherwife fpoillhe wa:er. Thebclls

alfo prove ver)' ineonl enient in the grafling and breaking.

In Lineolnnlir. and ¡reland, they Ihink that rip–

pling hum the flax : and therefore, in place of rip–

pling, Ihey Hrike lhe bolls againl! a flone.

H e handfuls for rippling ftlOuld nOI be gml, as

th.. endangers !he linl in the rippling eomb.

Afler rippling, Ihe fiax-raifer wllI :weeive, Ihae he

il able

alron eaeh fize and qU.llily o; the Bax by it–

[e11

more exaélly lhan he could before.

Of f/la/rring

FlAX.

A running Hream wafles the lint,

makes il while, and frequendy carries it away. Loch!,

byIhe greal quanlily and mOlion of lhe waler, alfo

wane and whilen the Oax, though nOI

mueh as run–

ning nreams. BOlh rivers and loehs wmr lhe Bax

quicker lhan canals.

But all flax ought

be watered in canals, whieh

¡hould

digCed in clay ground if poflible, as lhat foíl

rmins lhe wmr befl: bue if a firm retentive foil can–

nOl be got, the boltomor fides of Ihe canal, or both

lhe bouom and fides, may be lined

wil~

clay; or, in–

flead of lining lhe lides wilh clay, whieh mighl fall

down, adildl may be dug WilhoUI lhe canal, and filled

wilh clay, whieh will prevenl bOlh extraneous waler

{rom entering, and rhe water IVilhin from running off.

A "nal of forty feet lonc,

fix

broad, antl

f~ur

deep, \VIII

~ener~lIy

\Vater lhegrowth uf an acre of

n.IX.

ougOl lObe (¡lIed ',"ilh fre(h fofl IValer from a

ril'er Or brook, if poflible IWO or lhree weeks before

the Rax is pUl in, anu expofcd

;\11

tlw tinte tOlhe heal

of Ihe fun. The grealer way the ril er

01'

orook has

run, th'! fofter, annlherefore lhe bwer IVilllhe wwter

be. !>¡lrings,

01'

IlIOn runs fromhills, are lOO colrl,

unl<fs Ihe I m r is u!lnlVed lO I!and IlIng in lhe can./'

WJII1' from coal

01'

iron. is vcry oad fur Jlax .

Ilul.

lhe powder of ¡:alh Ihrol>n inlo a glafs of wa–

ler, 11111 inullt'di"c1y difeover ir it comes frommine-

1.1s

of Ihal kind, oy turuinn il inlo a dark colour,

""1.

n~ kr~

lineed in proportton

Ihe 'luantilY of

,unlJlll

cr r" "¡IIIS.

VOL.I!. lo

601

F L A

Thc

ean~l

OllC'll not In

I¡,!

unda any

01.1

e; v¡;li&..

befidcs k<'ping Ihe fun from fuftening Ihe W,ler,

mighl make pan

01'

Ihe canal cooler

Ih~n

olhe. pam,

:nd fo waler Ihe n.x

untqu~lIy.

The flax-ralfer will

o~fe"c,

when lhe waler i¡

oroughl

a proper heat ,

lt.at

fmall

pl~n¡s

wil! be

rifing quiekly in il, numoen of fn

"ti

I inreéls and rep–

tiles will be genmting lhm, antl buobles of air rrfing

on lhe furfaee.

no fueh fign s appear, Ihe waler

mufl nOl be warnt enough, or is otherwife ur,fil for fldX.

Mors-holes, when neilher too deep nor too fh.llow,

freqllently anflVer well for walcring 8ax, when the wa–

ler is proper, as befare deferibeo.

!fhe propcr fe.fon for walering flax is, from lhe

end of July

lhe end o{ A{lgulL

The

a~:ivnlage

of w81ering Oax as foon as pollible,

t fter

pull.ng,

has been already menlioned.

The Bax being forted afler rippling, as before.men–

tioned, Ibould neXl be pUl in bem, never /arger Ihan

a ntan can grafp wilh bOlh his hands, and titd very

flaek, Wilh • band of a few flalks. Dricd ruflJeS an.

f"er exceedingly well for binding n3X, as lhey do nOI

rOl in lhe waler, aod may bedrieo

~nd

kepl for ufe again.

Tite oeelS nlOuld be pUl inlo Ihe canals Oope.ways,

or half flanding upon end, Ihe rvot·end uppermoff.

pon lhecrop.encls, whenupperOlofl, lhere frequently

breeds a deal of \'erOlin, deflruélive of theBax, whieh

is eff,élually prevented by puning lhe erop·end down.

mofl.

The whole fiax in the canal ought to be carefully

covered from the fun with divots; the gralfy fide of

whlch (hould be nex! lhe

iI.•

x, lOkeep il clean. If it

is not lhus eOI'ered, lhe fun will difeolour lhe Bax,

though quite eOI'ered Wilh waler. If Ihe divols are

nol weiglllY enough lO keep the flax entirely unoer

water, a few nones 'llay be laiJ aboye Ihem. But the

Hax Olould not be prelfed lOIhe bottom.

When lhe Hax is fuRieieotly warered, il feds fofllO

rhe grip,30d lhe

harte

parlS eafily lVith Ibe

h.cn

orjlwlJJ,

whieh lafl .s lhen beeome brinle, and loo/(s whili(h.

Wheo Ihefe (¡gns are found, lhe fiax (hould be taken

OUI of lhe waler, beet arler beel ; eaeh gently rinfed

in lhe waler, to cleanfe it of Ihe na(linefs whieh has

galhered about il in lhe canal; and as lhe linl is lhen

very lender, .nd !he beel Olekly tied, il mufl be care–

fully and gently handled.

real eare OUghl lObe l. ken thal no part is orer–

done; and as lhe eoar{efl waten foonefl, if d,fferenl

kinds be mixed logelher, a ran will be roned, \Vhen

lhe rel! is noe fullicieotly walered.

When lint lakenOUl of the canal is nOl found fuRi –

ciently wmred, il may be IJid in a heap, for lwell'e,

righlecn, or lwenly-four honr$, lI'hich will have . n

effcd like more 11'11ering: OUl Ihis opcration is nice,

and nlAy prove

d~ng" rous

in unt7,ilful h2nds.

Mter lhe

1I.lx

is tdkcn OUl nf the canal, frelb line

nlould nOl be pUl a freond lime into il, unlll lhe

former water be run off, and lhe canal cleaned, and

fup"lied with frclb waler.

grat'ing

F~AX.

Short he31h is lhe hefi fidd fo r

g'rdOin~

R. x, as, wh, n \\'el, il f.lkns

e he.,ll',

an,1is lhcrchy"rercmco frolll

hl"'~

hlown a\Va b,·

lh~

\'IltId.

The hc.:h

allo

k(e~s

:1 J J:ed

J~~\'c

tl'e

6 [

c.u tl)