. Ruth of Boston; a story of the Massachusetts Bay colony . flax prepared, how much and ho\v many differentkinds of labor are necessary, before it can be woveninto the beautiful linen of which our mothers are soproud. First it must be rippled. The ripple comb is madeof stout teeth, either wood or iron, set on a puncheon, 124- RUTH OF BOSTON and the stalks of flax are pulled through it to break offthe seeds, which fall into a cloth that has been spreadto catch them, so they may be sown for the next yearsharvest. Of course this kind of work is always done in thefield, and the stalks are then tie
. Ruth of Boston; a story of the Massachusetts Bay colony . flax prepared, how much and ho\v many differentkinds of labor are necessary, before it can be woveninto the beautiful linen of which our mothers are soproud. First it must be rippled. The ripple comb is madeof stout teeth, either wood or iron, set on a puncheon, 124- RUTH OF BOSTON and the stalks of flax are pulled through it to break offthe seeds, which fall into a cloth that has been spreadto catch them, so they may be sown for the next yearsharvest. Of course this kind of work is always done in thefield, and the stalks are then tied in bundles, which arecalled bates, and stacked up something after theshape of a tent, being high in the middle and broad-ened out at the bottom. After the flax has been exposed to the weather longenough to be perfectly dry, then water must be sprinkled over it to rot theleaves and suchportions of thestalks as are notused. Then comes thatpart of the workwhich only strongmen can perform,called breaking theflax, to get fromthe center of thestalks the hard,. wood-like bun,which is of no val-ue. This is done SPINNING, BLEACHING, AND WEAVING FLAX 125 with a machine made of wood, as if you were to setthree or four broad knives on a bench, at a certain dis-tance apart, with as many more on a lever to comefrom above, fitting closely between the lower upper part of the machine is pulled down withforce upon the flax, so that every portion of it isbroken. After this comes the scutching, or swingling, whichis done by chopping with dull knives on a block ofwood to take out the small pieces of bark which maystill be sticking to the fiber. Now that which remains is made up into bundles,and pounded again to clear it yet more thoroughly ofwhat is of no value, after which it is hackled, and thefineness of the flax depends upon the number of timesit has been hackled, which means, pulling it through aquantity of iron teeth driven into a board. SPINNING, BLEACHING, AND WEAVING FLAX Afte
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