Constructive work; . is accomplished by spreading the flaxon the grass, allowing it to remain until the dew and rainhave done the retting. This method requires a longer the inexperienced person the results might be moresatisfactory if the two methods were combined. Soak inwater for about two days, and then spread upon the grass,allowng the dew and rain to complete the process. 207 We are now ready to begin the breaking. Before thisprocess is begun, the stalks are thoroughly dried. Withus the sheaves of flax were placed upon the register. Thiscauses them to become very brittle. Before
Constructive work; . is accomplished by spreading the flaxon the grass, allowing it to remain until the dew and rainhave done the retting. This method requires a longer the inexperienced person the results might be moresatisfactory if the two methods were combined. Soak inwater for about two days, and then spread upon the grass,allowng the dew and rain to complete the process. 207 We are now ready to begin the breaking. Before thisprocess is begun, the stalks are thoroughly dried. Withus the sheaves of flax were placed upon the register. Thiscauses them to become very brittle. Before the flax is placedin the brake, it is put on a block of wood and thoroughlypounded, as shown in the right of Fig. XIV. This reallybegins the breaking. It is then placed in the regular brake,as shown in the center of Fig. XIV. This brake is a simplepiece of apparatus, also made by the boys. We have threebrakes, of varying sizes, the smallest being made in sucha way as to break such parts of the woody core as are not. FIGURE XIV. broken by the largest. This breaking is done to get the fibersfree from the woody cores of the stalk and thus make themready for use. After the breaking has been thoroughly done, what re-mains is hackled. The hackling consists in passing the flaxthrough a series of combs, as represented in the left of The hackle is not a difficult piece of apparatus tomake. It consists of wire nails ground into long, sharf 208 points. These are driven through a circular or rectangularpiece of wood, banded with an iron strip, and glued andscrewed to a support, as shown to the left of Fig. process of hackling removes many of the pieces of stalknot removed by the brake, and it also splits the fibers. Evenafter this process is completed, there are still bits of the stalkleft. To remove the last of it, the flax is brushed, as isshown in Fig. XV. The flax is now ready for the distafif, and is spun intothread, as shown in Fig. XVI. If linen cloth of the natura
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