1000000030

F L A

wanles OUI lhe oil, which is nccerrary

prererve lhe

llrengrh.

1'l,e

gr~~l

properly of lhis

f.al(

is to be fine aotl

lon~.

Thick (owjng raiCes all plants fine aod Oender,

aod when rhe grouod is very rich, jI forces lhero 10

a grea! lenglh. Pulliog greco preveols lhal coarre

hardoe(s which fldX has wheolel fiand rill il be fulI ripe,

aod gives jI lhe linc filky property. The brufll wood,

wheo ,he

B~x

(priogs up, calches it

the middle,

prereols it from Iyiog dowo and roniog; iofJlJible

coo(equeoces of (owing lhick upon rich ground. Jt

likewj(e

~eeps

it llraight, moill, and (oh al the roots;

and by keep!ng it IVarm, and flladed from the fuo,

grea!ly promoles ilS lenglh. T he keeping il (rom raio,

healiog, laking proper C'dre of your waler, preCerves lhe

colour, aod preveols lheCe bars io c101h fo much com–

plained off by

~Ieachers .

FLAX-DRESS 1S.G .

.me diffmnl me/hol l o[ /ha/ o–

peralion.

For maoy ages

\Vas lhe praélice 10 Ceparate lhe

booo or core from lhe flax, which is lhe bark of lhe

plant, by lhe folJowing fimple

hond·",,/hodl .

Firl!,

for breaking lheboon; lhe Halks in (mall pmels IVere

be~l

wilh a mallel; or, more dexleroufly, lhe

úr'dA

(Plale LXXXII. fig.

and

2.)

was u(ed lhus : The

Ilax being held in lhe lefr-haod a-croCs lhe lime

un–

d"' /u/h

ftvordl

of lhe break (A, fig.

l .

~nd

fig.

2.),

lhe

upper-/u /h

(B, fig.

and

fig.1.) were

Wilh lhe righl.hand quickly and oflen forced down

llpon lhe flax, which was a((fully Ihifled and luroed

Wilh lhe

lefl·~aod.

Next, for clearing tha Oax of

the broken boon ; the workmao Wilh his leCl·h,od

heId the flax over lhejlod (fig

aod 4.) while Wilb

his' righl-hand he firuck or lhreflled the Bax wilb lhe

fcu/chu

(fig.

S·).

The(e melhods of breaking and fculching lhe J!ax

being·Oow aod very laborious, a

1uo/u·mill

was iD–

vented in Scotlaod about fort y years ago, which, wilh

fome lale improvements, makes greal difpalch, and in

flálful aod careful hands gives (atisCaélion.

·has

been generally conflruéled tO break lhe

b~oo

by lhree

denled rollers, placed one above lhe olher. The middle

one of \Vh'ich being forced quickly round takes lhe o–

lher

t\Vo

~Iong

wilh il, and one end of haodfuls of lhe

flax being by lhe workman direéled in belweeo lhe up–

per and middle rollers, lhe flax is immediately dra\Vn

in by the rollm; a cmved board or plale of lin be–

hind lhe rollers direéls lhe fiax tO muro agaio be–

tween lhe mid,lIe and undermofl rollers;-and lhus lhe

noeralion is rcpeateu unlil lhe boon be fufliciendy

b~okc.

Greal weighls of timber or Hone al lhe ends

of lever', preCs the upper aod lInder·rollers towards

lhe middlc one.

T he Cculchiog is oext carried 00 by lhe mili in lhe

fd lowlOg m, nner: Four arms, fomelhing like lhe

hano, Cculehcrs before ucCcrihed, projea Cronl a

p~rpeo·

ulCuldt axlc ; a Gox

~round

lhe axle indoCes lhdC:

proj~tling

fculchers; and lhis box is divid,o among

lhe \l'orkmcn, each

h~\·ing

CuOicieOl ronm

1<1

fl.tnd and

handle I,is n.,x, wlllch,

lhruu~h

/lilS in lhe

up~~r' part

l"~ ~Jcs

of lh ' boYo, lhe)' hold iJ to lhe firo!.c of lhe

l' L A

fculchcrs; which, moving round horizontally, flrih

the

Ba:;

a·cr0fs or at righl angles, and fo lhrelh out

or cl ear il of lhe boOIl.

T he breaking of lhe i1ax by

rollm

is (carcely (ub–

jcél lo any objeélion, bUl lhal il is dangerou! 10 work–

lOt O

nOl fuflicicndy on lh..ir gUlrd, who (omelimes

aJ–

low tl!e rollcrs lO l?ke hold oi lheir fiogers, and lhere–

by lheir whole arm is inflantly drawn in: lhus maoy

have lolllhcir arms. To avoid lhis danger, .a brealr.

upoo lhe general principIes of Ihe hand·break before

dtfcrib.d. has been Im ly adapled 10 w'ller machioery,

ano uíed in place of rollers. The horizontal flroke of

the Cculchers was loog lhoughllOO Cevere, and wafleful

of lhe flJx ; bUl very ca reful experimenls have di(co–

vereJ lhal lhe wafie complained of mufi be charged

the unfl<ilfulneCs or

ne~ligence

of lhe \Vorkmen, as iD

good hanns lhe mili carries

aw~y

nOlhing but what, if

nOl

Ccutched off, mufl be lakenoff io lhe heclling

Wilh morelofs bOlh of lime and flax. BUllOobviale

this

obje~.ioo

of lhe violence of lhe

horizon/aljcu/ch–

tri,

an imil31ion of haod fClllching has Imly beeo

applied IDwaler. ThefCUlchers lhen projeél froro

horizonlal axle. and move like lhe arms of a check–

reel, flrikiog lhe fldX neilher acro(:; nor rerpendicu–

larly dOlVn, but floping in upon lhe parce! exa81y as

lhe flax is ffruck by lhe haod-(CUlCher. This floping

IIroke is gOL by raiGng lhe (cutching.Oock (ome inches

higher lhan lhe centre of lhe axle; and by raiGng or

lowering lhe /lock, over wbich lhe Bax is held, or

(crewing il nearer toor fanher from the fCUlChers, lhe

workman can lemper or humour the firoke almon

he pleafes.

A lim·mill Wilh horizontal fcutchers IIponaperpen–

dicular ax!e, requires a houfe of two fiories, lhe rol–

lers or break being placed in the ground nory, and

thefculchers in the 10ft above ; but a mili \Vilh verti–

cal (culchers on an horizoolal axle, requires bUl one

ground ilory for all lhe machinery.

Anolher melhod of breaking and fcu lchiog flax,

more expediliolls lhan lhe old hand·roelhods, and

more grnde lhan water·mills, has .Ifo beeo Im ly in–

\'cnteu in Scodand.

is much like the break aod

fculclu:rgiving Ihe flopi ng flroke lafl de(crrbed, moved

by lhe f00t. T he lreddle is remarkably long, .nd lhe

fcutchm ue fixed upon the rim of a fly.wheel. The

fool·break is al(o

a/1in~d

in ilSmOlioo by afly. The(c

fOOI machines are very ufdul where lhm are

n~ w~l~r

milis. bUl lhey are far inferior 10 lhe milis In pOln!

of expedi lion.-

[S"

1'10111

/A,

waler·mill"

.ná

forl-machioe,

/Ae

rl1l1l11l11b(rrd

plo/(/

b'/1Uix/ /hl

LXXX I!.

IInd

LXXXI I!.]

The neXl operal ioo

lh~l

flax

under~oes

afIe!

~CUlC~.

ing. is heckling. The

ha ll,

(Iig. 6. Plm LXXXlL)

fi rmly fixed 10 a bench before lhe wo,kman, ",ha IIrrke!

lhe fl.x upon lhe t,'(lh uf lhe hecklc. and draw! il.lhro'

lhe lceth. To pl'lfolls undcqu,linlCll wilh lh.l

~lnJ

work

lh;~

may feem a I'eryfimpleoper.lIioo;

l'ul,,~

(,11,

illC<luires

much pra,qice lO aeGuire lhef1;:;hl 01 hc,k–

linJ~

wd l, .Ind WilhoUl

w:tllin~

Ihe ILlx , as .ny

o~her

"peradon in lhe II'hole m.lonfJ,'lure of li",·n.

hey

lIli:

CO~I r.

r JnJ Ili,ler lwhcJ hnl!:s, or I;n", 3(' 0,,1-