FLAX CULTURE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1303, 14 February 1885, Page 3

FLAX CULTURE.

We have been requested to publish the following article on the above subject, which appeared in the British Trades Journal

flax (linum iMiatissmum), originally a native of Asia, was introduced into Europe at a very early period. There are several varieties of cultivated flax, depending materially on difference of climate, mode of cultivation, and other circumstances. These rraieties grow to different heights, ripen at different seasons, and prefer in many cases different soil and modes of cultivation. The flax cultivated in Europe is an annual plant of fragile appearance, sending up slender fibrous stems, two to four feet high, according to the nature of the soil and the climate, (he mode of cultivation and the season ; it has narrow alternate leaves, and bears light blue flowers. The stem of this plant consists of an inner part or core, sometimes hollow, but more frequently solid, surrounded by a fibrous bark or rind, the filaments of which furnish the fibre which, when spun and woven, is known as linen. These filaments are united to each other and tn the bark by a gum, which is the cause of great trouble to the flax grower, from the difficulty of decomposing it, and freeing the filaments from it. Flax may be grown on a great variety of soils—sandy, calcareous, clay, loam, peaty —but the beat is a deep friable clay loam, or the alluvial deposits of rivers. Very low land should be avoided, as liable to produce mildew ; thorough ploughing and pulverisation of the land are necessary. The most favorite seed for sowing is Russian, obtained from Riga. Dutch seed reared from Riga saed is also much esteemed. A change of seed is considered highly beneficial ; some farmers use their •wn seed, except an acre or two from foreign seed to keep up the anpply. Flax is grown in most places for its fibre and its seed ; in some places, however it is grown for its seed only, and in others for its fibre only. The quantity, of seed sown per acre varies very much according to the soil and the purpose for which the flax ie grown. Poor soils will carry less seed than rich ones. Thin sowing promotes a coarse growth of the. plant, and deteriorates the fibre. Thick sowing causes the plant to spring up with tall and slender stems, producing fine fibre. In Great Britain, Belgium, France and Russia, from 2 to bushels per acre are sown where flax is raised both for its seed and its fibre, in those countries in which it is grown specially for its seed about 1 one bushel per acre is sown, which gives a large production of aasd. When the plants are a few inches high they are carefully weeded by women apd children. In some countries this is done twice, or even thrice, according to circumstances; no further attention is necessary till the crop is ready. The flax plant is pulled up by hand, and not cut with the scythe or sickle. In. the United States—especially in Ohio— the reaping machine is used, but not succenfully; the objections to its are the loss of fibre, injury to its working qualities, and the gathering of weeds with the flax. The state of the seed bolls affords the best means of judging of the maturity of the crop. Too much attention cannot be attached to the proper time for pulling the. flax ; it should be fully ripe, but it is pmc)i preferable to pull it a (lay top soon ffttbpr tjlap si day f td late. When the lower leaves begin to fall, and the seeds harden and turn brown, and the stalks assume a yellowish hue, it is time to pull the flax. If left after this the seed will drop and the plant will die; it must be

pulled before its juices are exhausted, and while the fibre is elastic and silky.

After being pulled the flax is next seeded, and steeped or retted. There are many different ways of performing these operations. Thus, in some districts the flax is at once put ipto the retting water with the seed capsules attached, the seed being thus lost. This wasteful mode of dealing with flax is however, becoming obsolete, in consequence of the growing intelligence of the cultivators and their better knowledge of their true interests. In some countries theflUx plants are dried in the sun, and stored till a suitable time for retting is at hand ; the seed is then extracted immediately before the retting lakes place. In other countries the flax plants are dried in the sun, the seed is then extracted, and the flax put to steep. Another method is to extract the seed whilst the flax stems are full of sap ; they are then immediately putin the ratling pool or tank. The seeding may thus take place immediately after the flax is pulled, and whilst green, or after drying in the open air; or should it be stacked for a time, it may take place immediately before the flax is retted.

Retting, or Rotting.—-Many different methods are employed to ret flax, i.e., to decompose the gum or resinous sap which binds the filaments together, and to render it possible to separate the boon, or woody part, from the fibrous part without great labor or injury to the fibre. We will, therefore classify the modes of retting under three heads, in order to render the matter clearer to our readers. Istly. Dew retting, or rotting. 2adly. Water retting, or steeping in pools, lakes, rivers, or tanks. 3rdly. Water retting, or steeping in tanks, aided by heat, chemicals, or other matters.

Dow Retting consists of laying the flax plants on short grass land, and exposing them to the dews and rains in order to effect the decomposition of the gum which binds the fibres together. It is, however, as regards the results, a very unsatisfactory process; the fibre is of inferior quality and color, and we believe this process is only applied to rough coarse flax.

Water Retting 1 , or Steeping, may be effected in various ways—by immersing the plants in running streams, in lakes, pools, or pits. The quality of the water is of very great importance—it must be free from iron and other mineral matter. The best water is that from surface drainage, or water that has flowed from some distance exposed to the action of air. If spring water only is available, it should be let into the pita several weeks before the flax is put in, to allow it to deposit any sediment it may have, and to cause it to mallow. A steep pool is said to be most favorable when near a river, as the slight current on the surface carries off the scum ; these pools are usually about 8 to 10 feet wide, 3 feet deep ; the length depends on circumstances. The flax sheaves are placed in them on their butt ends, packed loosely ; they are covered from the light by sods with the grass side underneath, by straw, or similar substances, kept down by stones or logs of of wood. The best known water in the world for flax retting is that of the river Lys, in Belgium, and the process of retting adopted by the Belgians may be considered the best and most practical. The flax sheaves are placed erect, butt downwards, in wooden crates about 12 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 3 feet deep. The crates when tilled are carried to the river, and immersed there, being sunk by means of stones in such manner that their upper part is 6 inches below the level of the water, which can thus flow both over and under the crates. The steeping season there is from May to September. Thus each year’s crop is ' kept during the winter in the state of dried straw, and retted the following summer. The flax straw thus treated produces a very soft lustrous fibre, of a yellowish white shade. The time required for the various processes of retting varies very much, say from eight days to four weeks, according to circumstances ; it is shorter iu warm than in cold weather. The retting must be continued until the gum which binds the fibres together is decomposed, but it must be stopped immediately that stage is reached. The best test for deciding on the sufficiency of the retting is to take a few stalks out of the water, and if the fibre can be readily separated along its entire length from the woody interior it is time to take it out. When removed from the water the bundles are placed on their butt ends to drain fora day. They are then spread out on a closely-shorn grass field or pasture, and spread thinly and evenly on the ground to be washed by showers, and softened by the action of the air. They should be evenly spread in rows, and turned over from time to time in order that each aide may be exposed alike, to ensure uniformity in quality and color, A few days are thus occupied, after which the flax straw is dried, tied up in sheaves, and stacked ; it may remain in this state for several years without the fibre undergoing any deterioration.

The third, kind of retting embraces (a) hastening the putrefactive action by artificially raising the temperature of the water, or by treating with steam, (b) adding Fuller’s earth, etc., and (c) treating with weak acids, solution of caustic soda, soap, lye, lime, chalk, and charcoal, etc. The time necessary for retting has by thes§ means been reduced to from 14 to 60 hours. Many of the attempts have been failures ; many have effected their immediate object, viz., the reduction in the time necessary for retting, but at the expense of the fibre; its quality or its color, or both, having been seriously affected, The (g,) processes may he shortly de* scribed.' The warm water system employs stone, brick, or wooden tanks, or vats, each capable of holding about 2| tons of flax straw, which is placed in them vertically with the root ends down ; the tank is filled with cold water, and the tops of the sheaves of flax straw are secured by bars ot wood j heat i? communicated by means of steam through a coil of piping placed under a false 'bottom, with which each tank or vat is furnished ; there ar« various arrangements for causing circulation and carrying off the products pf decomposition j tfjp tempera fur* of water in tfie original trials' Tjas kept at about fitjdeg. Fahrenheit, and the process was completed in 6Q hours at the outside, It has, however, been found by experience that the quality of the flax is improved if the temperature of the water is reduced to about 75 degrees, although by so doing the maximum time for the retting in

increased to seventy-two hours. By this process the flax straw must be freed from the foul water of the tanks by washing after the retting is completed, otherwise the fibre becomes harsh and non-elastic, and is loaded with a yellow powder, smelling offensively and injuriously affecting the flax in subsequent operations ; this evil is effectively remedied by psssing the straw after it leaves the tank through a pair of smooth pressing rollers with a jet of water playing on them ; the straw is thus washed, and secured from any possible deterioration which would arise if dried directly after leaving the foul water of the tank.

The steam process of retting consists in placing the flax straw in large iron steam-tight chambers; when these are effectually closed (he steam is turned on, and thoroughly penetrates the straw ; tho condensed water in the inside of the chambers trickles on to the straw, and percolates through it. The process occupies about fourteen hours ; the system in its results has - several defects, which have prevented its extension. Another mode of rotting is to place the flax straw in an air-tight kier, and to create a vacuum by means of an air pump ; hot water is then allowed to rush in, a steam coil under the false bottom of the kier keeping the water at the desired heat; the hot water is easily renewed by closing the steam pipe which heats the water at tho bottom of tho Jiiar, and by letting the steam in at the top above the surface of the water, which is forced by the pressure of the steam through the straw and out at the bottom of the kier. A fiesh vacuum is then created, a fresh supply of hot water admitted, and expelled in tho manner already described. After the hot water process is finished cold water is introduced by means of the vacuum, and expelled again by steam pressure or by gravitation. In this manner the straw can be treated with hot water and steam, and washed as frequently, with either hot or cold water, as may be necessary without any handling of the straw. The various operations are conducted by means of the creation of a vacuum between each one, and an arrangement of pipes, cisterns, and valves. One air pump ond one workman suffice for four kiers ; the time occupied in the process is about fourteen hours. Some of the inventions referred to for hastening and equalising the time for | steeping are of great value, and will no doubt in time be brought into perfection, and be very generally introduced. For the present, however, the great mass of flax straw is retted by the water-steeping process; none of tho other processes can come up to it in simplicity, cheapness of plant, and quality and color of the fibre; The very important congress of the producers and consumers of flax, which was held in November of 1873, in Vienna, passed four resolutions, the last of which was as follows : “Thatthe water process of steeping, as carried on near Courtrai, in tha Lys, yields the best results/ (To he Continued.)