The different methods of that operation.

For many ages it was the practice to separate the boon or core from the flax, which is the bark of the plant, by the following simple hand-methods. First, for breaking the boon; the stalks in small parcels were beat with a mallet; or, more dexterously, the break (Plate LXXXII. fig. 1. and 2.) was used thus: The flax being held in the left-hand across the three under-teeth or swords of the break (A, fig. 1. and a, fig. 2.), the upper-teeth (B, fig. 1. and b, fig. 2.) were with the right-hand quickly and often forced down upon the flax, which was artfully shifted and turned with the left-hand. Next, for clearing the flax of the broken boon; the workman with his left-hand held the flax over the stock (fig. 3. and 4.) while with his right-hand he struck or threshed the flax with the scutchers (fig. 5.).

These methods of breaking and scutching the flax being slow and very laborious, a water-mill was invented in Scotland about forty years ago, which, with some late improvements, makes great dispatch, and in skilful and careful hands gives satisfaction. It has been generally contrived to break the boon by three dented rollers, placed one above the other. The middle one of which being forced quickly round takes the other two along with it, and one end of handfuls of the flax being by the workman directed in between the upper and middle rollers, the flax is immediately drawn in by the rollers; a curved board or plate of tin behind the rollers directs the flax to return again between the middle and undermost rollers;—and thus the operation is repeated until the boon be sufficiently broke. Great weights of timber or stone at the ends of levers, press the upper and under-rollers towards the middle one.

The scutching is next carried on by the mill in the following manner: Four arms, something like the hand-scutchers before described, project from a perpendicular axle; a box around the axle incloses these projecting scutchers; and this box is divided among the workmen, each having sufficient room to stand and handle his flax, which, through slits in the upper-part and sides of the box, they hold in to the stroke of the scutchers; which, moving round horizontally, strike the flax across or at right angles, and so thresh out or clear it of the boon.

The breaking of the flax by rollers is scarcely subject to any objection, but that it is dangerous to workmen not sufficiently on their guard, who sometimes allow the rollers to take hold of their fingers, and thereby their whole arm is instantly drawn in: thus many have lost their arms. To avoid this danger, a break upon the general principles of the hand-break before described, has been lately adapted to water machinery, and used in place of rollers. The horizontal stroke of the scutchers was long thought too severe, and wasteful of the flax; but very careful experiments have discovered that the waste complained of must be charged to the unskilfulness or negligence of the workmen, as in good hands the mill carries away nothing but what, if not so scatched off, must be taken off in the heckling with more loss both of time and flax. But to obviate this objection of the violence of the horizontal scutchers, an imitation of hand-scutching has lately been applied to water. The scutchers then project from an horizontal axle, and move like the arms of a check-reel, striking the flax neither across nor perpendicularly down, but sloping in upon the parcel exactly as the flax is struck by the hand-scutterer. This sloping stroke is got by raising the scutching-stock some inches higher than the centre of the axle; and by raising or lowering the stock, over which the flax is held, or screwing it nearer to or farther from the scutchers, the workman can temper or humour the stroke almost as he pleases.

A lint-mill with horizontal scutchers upon a perpendicular axle, requires a house of two stories, the rollers or break being placed in the ground story, and the scutchers in the loft above; but a mill with vertical scutchers on an horizontal axle, requires but one ground story for all the machinery.

Another method of breaking and scutching flax, more expeditious than the old hand-methods, and more gentle than water-mills, has also been lately invented in Scotland. It is much like the break and scutter giving the slopping stroke last described, moved by the foot. The tredle is remarkably long, and the scutchers are fixed upon the rim of a fly-wheel. The foot-break is also assisted in its motion by a fly. These foot-machines are very useful where there are no water-mills, but they are far inferior to the mills in point of expedition.—[See plans of the water-mills, and foot-machine, on the unnumbered plates betwixt the LXXXII. and LXXXIII.].

The next operation that flax undergoes after scutching, is heckling. The heckle (fig. 6. Plate LXXXII.) is firmly fixed to a bench before the workman, who strikes the flax upon the teeth of the heckle, and draws it thro' the teeth. To persons unacquainted with that kind of work this may seem a very simple operation; but, in fact, it requires as much practice to acquire the flight of heckling well, and without wasting the flax, as any other operation in the whole manufacture of linen. They use coarser and wider teathed heckles, or finer, according... Flax for cambrick and fine lawn, thread and lace, is dressed in a manner somewhat different. It is not sketched so thoroughly as common flax; which from the skutch proceeds to the heckle, and from that to the spinner; whereas this fine flax, after a rough skutching, is scraped and cleansed with a blunt knife upon the workman's knee covered with his leather apron; from the knife it proceeds to the spinner, who, with a brush made for the purpose, straightens and dresses each parcel just before he begins to spin it.

Yard-Flax. See Linaria.

Flea, in zoology. See Pulex.

Flea-bane, in botany. See Conyza.

Flea bitten, that colour of a horse, which is white or grey, spotted all over with dark reddish spots.