Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-03-22
History of n Towel.

| Having told little George one day that the
sponge with which his face was washed was part
of an animal, he naturally asked:
- Is the towel an animal, too %
No, Georg1e the towel is plant, so is a rose
bush, and corn, and grass. There is not much re-
semblance between them, you see ; still less does
the towel resemble either /; and will tell you all
the changes the plant passes through before it be-
comes towel.
The towel is made from plant called .19ac
Far away-in Asia, the plains of Persia
this plant grows wild In most countries of
Europe, especially France, England and Belgium,
and Ill many other parts of America, large fields
of it are cultivated. It bears q pretty, delicate
blue flower shaped like little bell it's leaves are
small, narrow and pointed it belongs, in the
study of Botany for flowers in Botany are all
divided into classes and orders lit belongs to the
fifth class and fifth order. That is, in the centre
of the flower are five little knobs called stamens
and five rther little things called pistils.
This pretty plant, which gives blue hue to the
appearance of the fields when it is in blossom
grows to the height of two or three feet.
But 1t IS of neither the leaves nor flowers that
our towels and linen clothes are made it is of the
SLENDER delicate stem, fra that it bends before
every wind that sweeps over it, like a field of
grass.
To understand the structure of this stem you
may take a skein of fine cotton, and extend it on
the table, then lay upon it, lengthwise small
stick, like very small pipe-stem or a very large
knitting needle and press the threads so close to
it on all SIDES to hide it, wash the whole over
with gum OF glue to keep them al together, and
you have good representation of a stalk of flax
We Will suppose now that hax-seed was planted
i'll the spring.
When it was about two inches high, women and
children were employed to creep all over the fields
barefooted, and pull up the weeds from it. Chill
dren are preferred, as they trample it down less;
however, the little plants revive again, and
grow up and bear leaves and flowers.
When the leaves turn yellow, and the last bios
SONS disappear, is the time for harvest It is then
mI ed nm Inv no
employed for this i'll France and, after spreading
it thinly on the ground from which it was taken,
they again so the field and tie it up in small
lunches, which are placed on end, leaning one
against the other, to dry. In one week it is dry,
and then it is taken to the barn to be stripped of
its seed. To do this, several ways used. Some
times they only beat it with tiat-headed mallet-
that is, a huge wooden hammer-then shake the
seeds out for planting next year. and the stalks
they lay by themselves.
These stalks are tied in larger bundles;
and what nextis to be done to make out of them
all these convenient clothes which we have; these
soft inen-cambric handkerchiefs, these linen col
lars and these very necessary towels? for now they
only look like dried sticks.
/ will tell you. These stalks like your limitations
of them with ppe-stem skein of cotton, and
some gum-consist of precisely three such parts.
And of these three, part only is valuable
the threads, fibre, it is called and that which
is to be done now is to soak these threads loose
from the gum, and separate them from the wood
centre, which is called the 6Oe This IS called ret
ting or rOtting it.
Now, if these bundles of stalks are spread out
in a meadow, exposed to the sun and rain, and
dew, if they are laid in water either in creek
OF pond, or, better STILL in water, this will
be accomplished. The centre-wood, or bole will
decay, the glue will dissolve, and the fibre, or
threads, easily be separated from them, and
tied IN bundles by themselves. To do this requires
few weeks time or, if warm water is used, it
takes less time.
Soon now this flax will take the shape of
towel.
These bundles Of fibre, after being nicely clean
ed, are made straight and smooth with great iron
combs, i'll the same way you would smooth your
hair, untange a bunch of yarn. Then they are
taken to great factory, where there are hun
dreds of wheels, moved by steam and machinery,
and where all these little fbres, which are as fine
as the finest hairs, will be spun into thread.
A part of it also, will be spun by the tidy wives
and daughters of the ax-farmers. When all the
they will sit through the long evenings, round the
great bright wood fire, with their little spinning
wheels twirling and humming away, making spool
after spool of pretty, smooth thread.
One thing only IS yet to be done this thread is
to be carried to the weavers, who with their great
looms will soon weave it into variety of useful
fabrics some they will weave in particular way,
with little figures in it, expressly for towels and
behold George will be provided with beautiful
and necessary towel, which is, as you see Georgie
part of plant-the Flax. \.