New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-08-25
PLAX.COTTON AT THE WORLDS EAR.
From the London Morning CArcn.cl,

ruich. be converted INTO soft dOwI-uke substance,
ANALOGOUS 10 the fbefs OF cotton. AMI capable OF De-
Ing treated IL after stages N every respect SINH
Lar 20 Z. En-; We stated that unlike coro0 IN one
respect. Z possessed letting properties which aiaptei
Il equals for spinning IN combination VITA WOOL;
ard TIA. fabrics produced from mixture % fax All
cotton. or fax and wool. possessed cegre OF soft
ness and siren 9Th which GId not caaracierSe those
formed entirely ii the one staple We stated also
thai ~ consequence Of the alterations effected IN
the character Of the hber the fax would be capable
OF taking cye and receiving impressions similar 10
any other nber. whether animal or vegetable and
further that The substance So produced could De Pre-
pared and sold with profit TO the producer. n pEice
less than that AZ which co;ton could De probably
imported into this country.
The announcement OF such discovery was re-
celyed Is many persons with Incrcduliry. Some
supposed that we had been GENEROUSLY imposed uDon
but others Judging more cOrrec ", inferred thar We
should mol have committed ourselves day after day
TO statements OF facts, the accuracy o. wlich we
had not the fullest opportunity Of testing and verify
Ing. For this reason decline 10 notice attacks
made upon Us by parties who ought 70 have been
the frst 70 hal such invention, which. Ii success
ful. would do so much 10 promote and encourage
the growth of fax N the United Kingdom. We
thought sufficient To leave the Great exhibition to
give satisfactory answer 70 al objections and TO
afford practical demonstration OF the accuracy OF
our statements The event has more than justified
our antcipaiious, and IN the numerous specimens
exhIlted by Chevaher tlausSen IN the south gallery
Of the ExhibItIon as well aS IN the departments OF
Canada. Russia. France. and Austria, Will be found
the most complete confirmation OF every statement
which y Q have made upon the subject
With respect to the great value OF the invention;
when CARED out. 70 the country whether regarded
IN IN agricultural or manufacturing point Of view
whether a. alorcmg 20 our agrlcu4turStS market
for a profitable AID beneficial crop a rendering
them independent Of foreign aid Tor their supply OF
oilcake produced from the fax-seed- or hS bringing
10 the assistance OF the cotton ana WOODEN manu-
features "a valuable auxiliary, available Al al times
ard al scasOns-there cannot, We apprchend' exist
difference Of opinion IN any reasonable MIND
Tie history which Chevaiier Clau>sen gives ofthe
causes which FIRST led aim TO experiment upon lax
for tie purpose Of " CCttoniZlng H. Is exceedingly
interesting. InaSmgcA n shows that his success
was the result OF inductye research and not the
ofSprnc OF mere chance He tells Us that, IN wan
dorinC along tte luXuuant banks OF one OF me bra
Zlan rivers. LlS attention a attracted 10 Whlte
down-lkc substance, adhering 10 me branches OF
trees. ovcrhane Ing and touching the stream On 90
tanning q quantity OF II, he was 50 pleased win It's
character that, thinking he had discovered some
hitherto unknown vegetable product he was deer
mined 10 trace H. II possible, 20 rs source. ana u
ascertain the plant which had yielded II. VITA me
artor Of naturalist he commenced MS ta>N' ana
eventually found that the substance hdi uetn washed
from bed OF fax straw the produce OF some OF his
own land. and which. long before. he hdi caused 10
be thrown a. useless, near The banks OF me river
To this heap the swollen waters had occasional ac-
coss-fermtniatiou aud the decomposition OF por-
non OF the plant had taken pace-and IN time mo
influence Of natural chemistry had 50 separated the
hameuis Of the fax iber rs TO give the mass cot
ton-llhe appearance and some OF II. having oeen
washed INTO the river. had been arrested by the
oyerhaueinghr branches. Although the substance thus
f discovered
conoiilon which would TT II Tor the hanQs OF lhe
spinner vet even IL lts then imperfect state
Z led the ChCFdlcr to entertain the ldeh oil the pos
siblIiy of completing by the aid OF artlcla cneihlS
try that which nature had but partially accomplished
The first object worthy of notice IN the stand OF
the Cheyalcr Clausseh Is machine Tor the purpose
OF reducing the bulk OF the flax crop by the removal
Of considerable portion OF the stFa" rom t we
stem of the plant leaving the hbcr IN a partially
cleaned state Hitherto the great dfhc0ity with all
growers Of fax has been the preparation OF tue crop
for market the grower having ocen coinpeued
either to resort the tedious and precarous process
sleeping his flax to dispose oi IL To factors a.
II came from the field, upon any terms when tnSy
might think proper to ouer as the great ouh oi 'he
cron prevented the farmer from sending II 10 mar
kes in the same manner as he would send ms gram
or other produce In order 10 cxtucate the farmer
from tins dilemma, and to afford HIM the means OF
availlng himself of the best market Tor MS produce'
tins machine has been constructed, which Will ena-
bic him. without resort to any sleeping process, 10
reduce the bulk of his flax, and At the same time al
nit of ms returning to the SOIL, IN the shape oil the
straw removed large portion OF the nutrve matter
extIactcd-and which, formerly destroyed III the
sleeping process had gwen rise 10 an opinion very
generally held by agrlcultunsts, that flax was an
/ extremely exhaustive crop. Several specimens OF
/ the fax thus cleaned by the machine are shown
The flax thus produced IS IN this stage adapted Tor
the manufacture of sail cloth and other coarse
fabrics, ropes cordage, &c. IL requires however
more minute separation of the hbers to adapt II Tor
the manufacture OF inner descriptions OF fdOrics'
TO make the subject perfectly familiar To the reGuer,
viii be nee essaTy 10 explain the structure OF the
fax fiber The stem Of the flax. plant consists OF
three distinct parasitic shove, straw, or woody mat
Ter which SupIOlfs the plant the iberS, which cover
the outer sur Of the straw and me gum or ttslH
bv which the hberS are held together Inc machine
/ as We have already described, removes the straw
] onlV and partially GlslntegIates thc nDeis ne1u
/ together by the rcsinous substance hthce theI
coarseness and their suitability tor coarse iaoucS
only In order 10 adapt II FOR the linen manufacture,
as also 10 carry II stage further IN the process Oh
preparation for the cotton or WOOL spinner IL y
necessary = obtain more complete sepHatu1on W
the fbers This object Is to be accompuSheI oy Tue
/ removal Of the rcSnous and gluunous substance
which blncs them together and, AS IL does not APP
pear that mechanical power VIII completely euec,
/ ihls recourse Is had TO chemical action. Ihese
substances therefore dissolved Dy the 'hehGdI
action Of fermentation, which takes place uhoer
the ordinary modes o. sleeping, whether III nor or
cold water and the application OF 1echan l,,
mower IN the process OF scutchlng dlteI"diu sePa-
rates the lhoTs and leaves them IN III sta'e LOT lhe
various manipulaiions required previous 10 max.
spinning /. IS found, however, that inc present
nrocess Of sleeping not only occupies considerable
oy,ion Of time but that It's effects are not suhcenty
UNIFORM to render II fitting mode 10 De adopted IA
the nreparatlcn OF flax for spinning on cotton mt-
F rhlnery and that, even when employed IN tht pre-
naration of aax for the ordinary linen manufacturer,
/ 4 possesses many disadvantages which II would De
desirable 10 remove. 90, -,
second series of samples shown by the Cheyaher
f clsnssen consists therefore of long fax prepared
for the linen manufacturer by process which dp-
pears completely 10 ooviate most oil the ihcoh'eh'
fences attending the ordinary inOdes OF stcepLns.
By this process the fax Is boiled lelther IN the sua"
as II comes from the held, or IN the state III "hich
leaves the growers hands, with It's bulk partially re-
duced bv mechanical meansJ for TWO or three hours
IN 4 weak solution OF caustlc soda he action Vi
the SODA dSsolyes completely the resnous and olher
substances OF The plant, while, by It's combination
with the oleaeinous matters that II contains II pro-
duces a soapy Kind OF liquid, which removes al me
same time an the colorng matter from the plant
leaving IT, unlike fax stepped III the ordinary
mode perfectly free from all STAN and impurty,
and thereby facilitating greatly the after processes
OF bleaching or dyeing, whether IN the yarn or IL
the finished cloth.
Passing from the specimens illustrative oil the pro-
cesses OF preparing the lax for the linen manuidc-
ture We nexi come 70 the interesting series OF sam
nIeS showing the mode ~ which the fax i prepared
Tor the cotton spinner. The hrst step necessary IN
/ -. fhe rsductfOD OF the fax 10