, 1860-12-27

,+o ~, eha-. of ~, ~ ~, .n,a,,..,. .<i
'Ao ~ 'ao p'oou't'on u
Fhat Il called aax'cotton,h ,has been from time to
line revived. After thorough trial, both on
.,%,-N.-.,1., 49, anu ep4Anins "acu'ae"
J, lu1s en1aseuaated ma1efaa WIS long since
proved to bo unfit for conversion into mr.
sctable quality of 7a,11s bv rca.on of nn,1o,d.
hin ,,.ar,1,ty T., ~: 1nn...,, ~, a....
- a'is - NV 1eustn aao nl'aach" "
[eriai, lnl1ea with WOOL ~ cheap cloths aud
leit mats. Possessing no felting property, it
ohly seems 10 LII up the goods, and when Its
presence Is detected, to dcpreciate their market
salue- II Is saln, therefore, to rely upon this
torm o. preparation for the development OF the
max interest,", wnlch now commands such hope
tnl attention.
VI late, also In reTiewal Of earlier European |
experiments, the attempt has been made to
successfully separate the dhrous md woody
portions Of TAX straw before rottfug, md de-
compose the cementiDg substance By treating
the hber In alkn1lne solutions, applied to de-
gree short of tho cottonizing result Though |
beautiful samples, both Of long flax and tow,
can be prepared In this way for exhibition, |
yet, In commercial scale, all process Of this |
kind hare failed tocompete With steep-rotting. |
This is partly referable to the expense Of the
chemical solutions employed, but more cspe |
clally, to abrasion aud rupture Of the fiber in |
the separating process, and, agaln, in breaking
up tho hard, compactcd mass OF sheet, into
which it dries after coming out of the decom- |
posing solution. From these causes there re-
suits much laE1.ez proportion Of short hbers
or tow, than by fermentivc decomposition In
the straw, or steeprotting, prior to the me-
chanical separation Of the fiber. Dew rotting,
also, may well be discarded, as too uncertain In
Its results, aud unsulted to systemizauon o1
the processes Of dax treatment
The foregoing considerations indicate inc
Gmitatlons which hedge the path Of success
IN this f Id Of enterprise, and may help to
better appreciation Of the following sketch OF
improved Methods.
The new system Of preparing LAX, has prl-
ma1i1y In Siew near market for raw tax
straw, ingathered with the least expense to the
farme1-lhe prosecution Of the process OF pre-:
partition in central Establishments, equipped
and organized for operation throughout the
year, and the shipments Of the material to the
linen factoEy, in m advanced stage OF manu-
facture-
A. essential. both to snvc tile labor Of pnll-
Ing the crop" In the old way, and to facilitate
the subsequent treatment OF Inc noe!, INC !a3.
when tic seed Is rips, u cut BY ne harEestlns
machine. This ls Easily Done WITH any o. tnc
combined rcapi: e and moving machines which
can be adjusted to cut close to tue ground, and
allow the fax to be discharged from the plat
form in gasels like wheat II the ground Las
been well prepared. thoroughly pulverlzed by
the barrow ut seeding, and followed with q
good field roller, the 1ta1 may be cut IN this
| way, low enough to snve all the neef. In at}-
| Ing weather, the gavcls of eut TAX should bc
Immediately bound in small bundles, win
care TO Keep the atolks stta!sal, tne outs esen'
and pick ont the weeds, 1t my aro present.
Then. standing the bundles Oh end in small
shocks, q few days Of prairie sun and breeze
! serves TO cure tue straw and seed, When 1t ls
ready for stacking, either on the farm or in tie
| stack yard Of tue ncighboring fax mill.
At the mill, By machine, which may al'o
| be made portable and driven BY horse power
for farm use, both the seed md the hEnnching
| seed-ends Of the fax are simultaneously r..
| n.Uyed-the f1aI b0us crushed, and the seed
| cleaned, as fnst Us workman can pass the
bundles. The straw In bundles, thus disested
Of seed-ends and roots, is r>--dy for close pack
ing in large fcrmenttng yats os tubs. These
are then filled with watcr suflit icntly to cover
the fax, and the temperature Is z,lsed to about
ninety-tiye degrees, by the admission Of etcam.
At the expiration Of two or three days, tue
fermentation Of the contents Of the yats, made
sure Al all Seasons Of the year By the uniform
heat, 1,as sufficiently decomposcd and madc
soluble the resin and coloring matter Of the
1Eer.
1hls method, called eteeprottfng, Is cxtcn~
siy*ly ndopted In lreHnd, and used both on
fla> md hemp, In this country. Hitherto, the
stepped lax las been dried BY spreading upon
the ground or in large drying houses, heated
bY costly ranges of Steam pipes, without pro-
Wis on for the removal Of .he soluble substance
before driving, and thus prevent tliseolor4tion
By the new system, the wet fax on removal
from the steep rats. is carefully spread on sue
This carrier ID al one end Of a long train Of ap-
pa1atus aud machinery, the parts Of which oI,-
crate in unison, aud through which the flax
PROGRESSES in continuous sheet Passing
from the feed table, the flax is first subjected
to washing process, which removes tue sulu-
bic gum and coloring matte, still soft from
decomposition In the yats, and Leaves the tiboE
nearly white. Eext In courtc the flax passes
between pressure rollers for the removal OF
water, nud thence nto drying apparatue,
| where 1t is exposed to currents Of hot air. The
| heat for TIC evaporation Of the moisture In
! the fax straw, is derived from a spacious hot.
air furnace Of special construction, which,
when steam motive power is used, arrests tue
| escane heat on its passape from the boilers ia
the Chimney, Thoroughly dessicated in the
DRYER, the tiax straw next progresses through
breaking aud cleaning machinery OF well
proved action. which reduces the woody
part into fine shiyes and separates lhcrn from
The fiber, without injurious abrasion to the lat
ter or material disturbance of The paralleisn
| of its f1aments, From this, the fibrous sheet
still connected, passes through combi2ing
condensing and g7i1-drawsng machinery Ard
ina continuous sliyec Of Glenn, gill-combed
fax, running into car, without waste of fiber
| and ready 10? tue drawing frames Of the liner
mill When the fax silver is to be shipped
for Market It Is run from the cans npon coil
ing machine, forming packages which arc
pressed and enyeloped, and which, on being
opened and suitably supported, freely run The
silver to the drawing iFames Of tie distant
f.atory. The only manipulation which
the fax receives after removal from thu
sleeping ya.s, is in the operation Of spreading
the straw upon the feed apron Of the train
This laws the foundation OF the yarn, tht
suhccouent operations being automatic, eayt
in transferring the ems Of silver from ont
macniue to another, in the linen mill. The
effect OF washtnc the etrav for tho removal
OF the O sluble matter, is not. only to aid IL
preeeryIng the naturally light color Of ths
pure fiber, and leave It OF asilky softnees which
fuproyca its pEopertics for manufacture, brit II
also facilitates the mechanical separation O.
the woody stem from the fiber. Comparcl
with tho best methods hitherto In use, the new
system sayes no less than eight successive
landings nf the fax, sor.,, Of which are
tedious and expensive besides converting more
than one-half Of the material into tow,
BIZ the new wav, one ton of good aax stray;
will produce four hundred pounds of lber Al
tcn dollars ton for the straw. in connection
with The value Of The seed, tIaxis more pruti
table crop for the Western farmer than cor,
or wheat. A fax mill on the above ptan, O
| capacity to produce daI one ton OF market
able fiber. is erected at the outlay Of abou1
twenty thousand dollars. Opcratcd by six
teen hands, and the shIycs being available fol
fuel, the daily running expenses may be esti
mated ut 1ees than twenty-five dollars. With :
margin, the cost Of preparing the fax Is thu