Of Graffing FLAX

Of Graffing FLAX. Short heath is the best field for graffing flax; as, when wet, it fastens to the heath, and is thereby prevented from being blown away by the wind. The heath also keeps it a little above the earth, and so exposes it the more equally to the weather. When such heath is not to be got, links or clean old sea ground is the next best. Long grass grounds should be avoided, as the grass growing through the lint frequently spots, tenders, or rots it; and grounds exposed to violent winds should also be avoided.

The flax, when taken out of the water, must be spread very thin upon the ground: and being then very tender, it must be gently handled. The thinner it is spread the better, as it is then the more equally exposed to the weather. But it ought never to be spread during a heavy shower, as that would wash and waste the harle too much, which is then excessively tender, but soon after becomes firm enough to bear the rains, which, with the open air and sunshine, cleans, softens, and purifies the harle to the degree wanted, and makes it blister from the boon. In short, after the flax has got a little firmness by being a few hours spread in dry weather, the more rain and sunshine it gets the better.

If there be little danger of high winds carrying off the flax, it will be much the better of being turned about once a-week. If it is not to be turned, it ought to be very thin spread. The spreading of flax and hemp requires a deal of ground, and enriches it greatly.

The skilful flax-raiser spreads his first row of flax at the end of the field opposite to the point from whence the most violent wind commonly comes, placing the root-ends foremost; he makes the root-ends of every other row overlap the crop ends of the former row three or four inches, and binds down the last row with a rope; by which means the wind does not easily get below the lint to blow it away; and as the crop ends are seldom so fully watered as the root ends, the aforesaid overlapping has an effect like giving the crop ends more watering. Experience only can fully teach a person the signs of flax being sufficiently graffed: then it is of a clearer colour than formerly; the harle is blistered up, and easily parts with the boon, which is then become very brittle. The whole should be sufficiently graffed before any of it is lifted; for if a part be lifted sooner than the rest, that which remains is in great danger from the winds.

A dry day ought to be chosen for taking up the flax; and if there is no appearance of high wind, it should be loosed from the heath or grass, and left loose for some hours, to make it thoroughly dry.

As a great quantity of flax can scarcely be all equally watered and graffed, and as the different qualities will best appear at lifting the flax off the grass; therefore at that time each different kind should be gathered together, and kept by itself; that is, all of the same colour, length, and quality.

The smaller the beets lint is made up in, the better for drying, and the more convenient for stacking, housing, &c. and in making up these beets, as in every other operation upon flax, it is of great consequence that the lint be laid together as it grew, the root ends together, and the crop ends together.

Follows an estimate of the Expense, Produce, and Profit of a Scots Acre of FLAX,—supposing the season favourable, that no accidental losses happen, and that the farmer is neither unskilful nor negligent.

The above estimate being made several years ago, the expence and profit are now different; but the proportions of each are probably the same. There is nothing stated here as expence of the canal in which the flax is watered; because that varies much according to circumstances.

It is a certain fact, that the greater the crop is, the better is the quality of the same kind of flax.

The advantage of having both a crop of flax and a crop of turnip the same year—or of fowing grafs feeds along with the linseed—and of reducing the ground to a fine garden mould, free of weeds, ought to be attended to.

For Cambrie and fine Lawn. The ground must be a rich light soil, rather sandy, but cannot be too rich.

It ought to be ploughed in September, or the beginning of October, first putting a little hot rotten dung upon it. In January it ought to have a second ploughing, after a hard frost; and when you intend to sow it, plough it a third time, or rather hoe it, reducing the clods very fine; but make no furrows: the land must be made level like a garden; but never work the land when wet.

The feed should be sown the beginning of April, and about double the quantity that is generally sown by our farmers; if the land be very rich, it will require rather more than double.

As soon as sown (if the weather be dry) it will be necessary to roll the ground.

The lint must be weeded very clean when about three inches high; directly after which you must set forked sticks, of about one and a half inch thick (which ought to be prepared before), every four or five feet, according to the length of the poles you are to lay upon them; they should be well fixed in the ground, the

forked part to receive the poles about six or seven inches above the lint; each row of poles should be two, three, or four feet afunder, according to the length of the brushwood you are to lay upon them.

The poles ought to be from 10 to 15 feet long, and strong enough to support the brush across the poles; take the longest brushwood you can get, the more branchy the better, very thick, filling up the vacancies with smaller brush, and any of the branches that rise higher than 18 or 20 inches ought to be lopped off to make the brush lie as level as possible: any sort of brush will do except oak, as that tinges the lint.

Your lint must be pulled as soon as the feed is fully formed, which is a few days after it is out of the bloom, before the lint turn yellow.

It must be pulled above the brushwood, and every handful laid upon it as soon as possible: if it is fine weather, leave it four or five hours in that manner: then carry it to a screen near a barn, to put it under a cover in case of rain; there it must be spread four or five days, and always put in the barn at night, or when it appears to rain: the bundles must be opened in the barn, or made hollow, to prevent it from heating.

These operations must be performed until the lint is perfectly dry, and out of danger of heating; taking care all the time to keep the roots as even as possible, and if possible keep it from rain or wet: if you cannot prevent it from being wet, it will be better to leave it on the grafs till dry; because when once wet, the putting it under cover before dry will make it turn black; a thing which must be prevented at all events.

If any of the lint upon the border, or through the piece of ground, be coarser than another, it must be separated from the rest.

Flax. The utmost care must be taken to preserve the lint entire or unbroken; for this reason they beat off the feed with a round mell or bittle.

The most proper ground is summer fallow, or after potatoes or lea; if possible near a wood, to prevent the expense of carrying brush.

As soon as the feed is off, if you intend to water it that season, it must be tied in bundles about as large as you can grasp with your two hands.

The water proper for it, is a very small rivulet or soft spring free of any mineral matter; taking care that no flood or foul water enters your pit; which must be at least five feet deep, about nine or ten broad at the top, and seven or eight at the bottom; the length will depend on the quantity of flax you have to water. A very small stripe of water, when clear, should always be running in and off from your pit when the lint is in it.

The pit ought to be made three or four months before it be used.

You must drive poles about four inches thick, with a hook inclining downwards, in this form 7, all along the sides of the pit, above five feet asunder. The hooks must be level with, or rather under, the surface of the water. A long pole, the whole length of the pit, must be fixed into these hooks on each side; and cross poles put under that, to keep the lint under water; but the cross poles are not used till the lint is put in. You must order it so, that all the lint should be three or four inches under water. You next bring your lint to the sides of the pit; then put your sheaves head to head, causing each to overlap the other about one-third, and take as many of these as make a bundle of two or two and a half feet broad, laying the one above the other, till it is about four or four and a half feet high; then you tie them together in the middle, and at each root end: after this you wrap your bundle in straw, and lay it in the water, putting the thin or broad side undermost, taking care that none of your lint touch the earth; after it is fully pressed under water, put in your cross poles to keep it under. The bundles ought to lie in the pit a foot separate from each other. This renders it easy to take out; for, if the bundles entangle, they will be too heavy to raise.

The time of watering depends so much upon the weather, and softness or hardness of the water, that it is impossible to fix any certain time. This must be left to the skill of the farmer. If the flax be intended for spinning yarn soft and fit for cambric, it ought to be spread upon short grass for four or five days before you put it into the water; but if for lawns, lace, or thread, it is best to dry it outright. In either case avoid as much as possible to let it get rain; as much rain blanches and washes out the oil, which is necessary to preserve the strength.

The great property of this flax is to be fine and long. Thick sowing raises all plants fine and slender; and when the ground is very rich, it forces them to a great length. Pulling green prevents that coarse hardness which flax has when let stand till it be full ripe, and gives it the fine silky property. The brushwood, when the flax springs up catches it by the middle, and prevents it from lying down and rotting; infallible consequences of sowing thick upon rich ground. It likewise keeps it straight, moist, and soft at the roots;

VOL. VIII. Part II.

and by keeping it warm, and shaded from the sun, greatly promotes its length. The keeping it from rain, heating, taking proper care of your water, preserves the colour, and prevents those bars in cloth so much complained of by bleachers.