The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1819-12-14


We now p ocved to give an abstract of
me statement offered in the General Re
port OF the Agricultural 5 ale and Political
Circumstances of Scotland drawn I'D
under the direction Of Sir .Jotn Sinc.ar
4. 585.
The time. Of pulling the fax out of he
earth is regulated as usual, accordingly $
the purp Sc IL 10 have good fax Or good
seed For. obtaining god fl & Though
there are different opinions on this head }
the fosoer must begin 10 drop (which is 2 Or
wecks before the seeds ripens but for
securing the best seed, the pulling is 10 be
deferred Till the leaDes have in general faIlel.
and the stems turned yellow.-The plants
when pulled, are laid in handtuls across
each other, 10 wither for two or three days;
after which they are bound into shelves.
Where seed is in view, the sheaves must
stand to dry, and then be Smoked the seed
being removed al leisure, either BY ripping
with species Of iron conb, or by hresh
ing /; after which The watering may follow.
But il FAX be Chiefly in question, the plants
are 10 the fist instance TO be rippied; in
order TO save the chaf, &c. for horses AID
COWS; and also to prevent yermin breeding
from these parlsin the water.
he Watering, by removing whatever
serves as the bond OF union OF the principal
parts ofthe plant 10 each other, makes every
part brittle but the fibre, after drying. The
watering IN eJery case, and for each Gro,
OF Hax may be deferred till the spring
The water used should be soft, because EN-.
ployed as solvent I; and the place for
watering should be easy TO fll and empty,
Tor the convenience OF placing and removing
the sheaves. The sheaves should incline
a littlr to each other and have The seed end
uppermost; for this end being acted upon
with most difficulty, should be where The
water is warmest. The weights upon the
II TX should only be of the amount to prevent
is floating. Eight or ten days may finish
he watering II the weather be warm other
wise IL may be needed All watering be-
You'd necessity is injurious especially if
putrefaciion has begun. Hence after the
sixth day, the fax should be daily examined,
by driving few stalks from The middle OF
different shesves. II Is best however to err
by watering too little than too much for
what the watering leaves unfinished, may
be done by the grassing process
Steaming is proposed as better than the
project OF boiling suggested by Mr.. Somer
Vile.
When the AJAX is taken out of the heaps
IN which II has been wasered, every sheaf
which is dirty should be washed When
thoroughly drained ii is removed to grass
piece which is open 10 the sun and air, end
,presd thsIs But it is wrong to weaken
he flax IN the process Of grassing under the
idea Of bleaching 1t.
We now proceed TO an extraordinary
document which on that very account re
quires the more examination. Ii is con-
'ained In a letter from MIR. G. Inelis OF
Scotland TO Mr.. Iilloch who has published
1t in his Philosophical Magazine for January,
1918 A sufficient idea may be had of il
from the following summary
While Mr. lDglis was employed in 1901
IN Oumbartons hire, In reducing TO practice
project for bleaching by steam . IS
sPIndles OF linen yarn were put into his
hands TO be prepared for weaving which he
found possessed of peculiar " sleeknes S."
Being soaked during the night previous 10
heir being steamed, they underwent re-
markable change of color much coloring
matter having passed into The water. They
were washed, wrung, and soaked in weak
alkaline ley; and then placed 10 be steamed
over some brown linen. Having been
steamed the usual time, The yarn acquired
a singular degree oil svhnteness. |, was mex
washed IN stream, till it ceased 10 yield
coloring matter; and being now laid on the
grass tor two days, It's Wilderness was such
as to induce an inquiry as 10 the mode in
which ii had been previously nsnaged
The secret was found TO lie in pulling the
1ax before it was too ripe and in not losing
the advantage by improper watering. The
( eenesi flax, 1t appeared, was set apart
Tor the finest Uses and whatever portion Of
such fax was watereG 10 pond formed by
: dam placed on smoA stream, became the
z0hifest. The utility of having succession
of particles of fresh water to free the fax
from its coloring matter. before the fbres
within could be stained by il, seemed evident