The Kemper herald. (Scooba, Miss.) 1875-1908, 1906-07-12
THE CROP OF FLAX FIBRE.
NEXT TO COTTON IN TEXTILE
IMPORTANCE AND VALUE.
Where and How II Thrives-Records
Garry 1t Back to the Days OF An
cient Egypt, When 1t Furnished
the Cloth for Mummy Wraps.

fine Brussels lace" which was used
to trim the gown worn by a very
beautiful woman, says a writer IN
the Philadelphia Record. MY
thoughts wandered back to the far
off fields in Belgium where the max
plant grew, the fibre of which mad
produced the lace; and to the var
ious processes it had gone through
before reaching the woman's gown.
The flax plant has been cultivated
from he earliest historical times. 1t
is mentioned in the Book of EXODUS
as one of the productions OF EGYPT
in the time of the Pharoahs, and IL
is said that the cloth in which the
mummies of Egypt were e%nveloped
was linen, woven from the flax npre.
We are told that Solomon purchaser
linen yarn in Egypt. The Greclan
maids of old were familiar with the
art of spinning and weaving fax. Al
so our Puritan and Colonial maids.
The Colonial farmers Introduced the
cultivation of flax and their wives and
daughters spun and wove it at home
for wearing apparel. Since the IN
PRODUCTION of mills this has become
a lost art in the household.
Flax, next to cotton, is the
valuable fibre we have. When grown
for it's fibre it is usually pulled up
by the roots, because cutting it
would cause considerable loss OF the
fibre. When grown for it's seed 1t
is usually cut and the fibre becomes
coarse and of less value.
Several processes are necessary 10
prepare the fibre. First is the ret
ting" which puts the stock into such
condition that the woody portions
may be easily removed; second, the
breaking, by which most OF the
woody portion drops out; tnlfd'
scratching, by which the remaining
woody matter and the short ENDS OIL
fibre are scraped off; and fourth,
hetching, or hacking, by which the
fax is torn into fine fibres. So much
manual labor is required in the cul-
tiyation of fax for it's fibre that 1t Is
usually found only in countries Where
labor is cheap. Russia produces more
than one-half of the worlds supply,
hut as it is dew retted it is not Oh
SO good a quality as that grown else
where.
ReIgium produces the best flax n
Italy, France and Holland produce
some that is very fine.
Egypt at the present time fur-
nishes a coarse but extremely long
fibre. ireland does not grow as much
fax as formerly. Japan has lately
Introduced the cultivation OF fax, as
we'll as have some of the Australian
colonies and Brazil, where there is a
wide range of soil and climate suited
to it's growth.
In the United States fax is usually
grown for it's seed, the source OF lin
seed oil.
The cultivation Of flax for fibre Is
usually not profitable in the country,
as the waters of the region where II
will crow are not generally pure
enough for the retting to produce d
good quality of fibre. However, n
some parts of the West, where the
soil and climate are about the same
as those of Belgium and Ireland, q
cultivation of fax for its fibre mas
commenced to attract attention. Inc
Courtrai fax is produced in Bel
eium and considered the best In n
world. The soft, slow running water
of the River Lys is well suited LOT
the retting process.
The manufacture of lace is a mar
velous art, especially widespread In
Belgium. where it has prevailed 1or
nearly 500 years. The lace industry
is practiced in nearly all the pro-
vinces of Belgium, and in some dls-
tricts nearly all the women, young
or old, handle the bobbins and needle.
Lace is usually made at home by
The work does not require
any changes in the disposition OF the
house occupied by the lacemaker.
The lacemakers' work, as a rule, ID
to order and by contract. They are paid
"bv the lob" and almost always re-
side in the villages of Flanders, Whlle
the contractors or manufacturers re-
side in Client, Brussels and Bruges.
AS the mother is a lace worker,
the daughter follows. AS a general
rule. the mothers no longer teach
their daughters at home but send
them to lace making schools, where
they are taught the kind OF lace they
prefer. These schools are very Of
ten managed by nuns.
Lace is divided into two nds-
point and pillow. The characteristic
feature of point lace is the seton
of the flowers; the ruling character
of the pillow lace is the outline. Bel
GUM hollis first rank in the manu-
facture of these two kinds of lace.
Point lace is manufactured with
the needle alone. Point lace is sub
divided into Brussels application,
Brussels point, Point of Venice (pro-
perly SO called, the rose point or
Rosaline point, and the Burano
point.
Bone of pillow lace is made on a
cushion or pillow, standing on a
trestle. with little spools for guiding
the threads and pins for fixing the
lace on the pattern. Valenciennes,
Flanders point, called a "t~rollerkant;"
Mechlin Lille point, Paris point,
Chantilly, torchon, duchess and gui-