FLAX-MACHINES. When flax is pulled, the stalk may be said to be made up of three distinct parts. There is first the wood, then the bark, and lastly the glossy varnish of the bark. The woody matter in flax is of no value: the difficulty is how to get rid of it and to save the bark. To accomplish this the flax lutist be rotted, and it is either spread over a field and exposed to the weather for sonic time, which is called "dew-retting," or the straw is steeped in water. In it short time the vegetable part rots, the gum on the outside dis solves, and the stalks are taken out of the water and dried. But the wood is like a fixed finger inside a glove, and, although weakened. has still to be removed. Seutehing is the process by which the wood is removed and the outside skin saved. The difficulty is to get the woody part out without injury to the skin, which is the valuable part of the and forms the flax-fiber. There are four methods of doing this. The tirst is by striking the flax repeated blows, then taking it in handfuls, holding it over as wooden rest, and striking it sharp lilows with a wooden blade. The second plan is to rim the rotted straw through fluted iron rollers, and when the heart is thus broken into short bits to take the straw in handfuls and hold it against two end blades rapidly revolving upon a shaft. The process known as the "('ardon " process. and which promised great things a short time ago, consists in pricking the straw with needles. This cuts the straw into lengths so small as to make it practically dust. The straw comes easily away. But it is obvious that the skin is damaged at the same time, because the heart of the stalk must be got at through ihis outer skin.
Spirgelhorg Plax-Srutelriny Mach (Figs.] and 2).—A new scutehing-machine has been devised by 1l r. A. Spiegelberg, which is claimed to show material improvement over older devices. The flax-straw is fed into the machine. one end always overlapping the preced ing one. Heavy fluted rollers flatten the tubular stalks, which action dues not spoil the fiber, but only takes the resistance out of the straw. Then the flax proveeaI+ to the :small rollers, lightly just suflivient to obtain a thorough grip of the flax, and by means of suitable mechanism these rollers receive a lateral or shaking motion, which ben& the stalks and al lows the wood to fall out, and also prevents the outer skin from becoming crushed or cut, as is the case with the needle-points, or the series of fluted rollers—run at a high speed—of other machines. The fiber then passes to the second part of the machine, as illustrated herewith,
which somewhat resembles an intersecting heckling-machine. The - strike " of flax is se cured between a pair of India-rubber gripping-rollers (.7 CI, which bring it into contact with a pair of rapidly revolving beaters D D'. After this operation has gone on for a given time the beaters are caused to revolve in the opposite direction, the gripping-rollers C and B are respectively automatically opened and closed in the interval by means of cam-bars F F', and the cams and levers //. In this manner both ends of the strike are sufficiently operated upon before they are allowed to proceed downward to the delivery roller .1 and thence to the delivery-apron h. 1: is the first-motion shaft, carrying fast and loose pulleys, con nected with similar pulleys on the shaft 3/, from which the beaters are driven. The taking-in rollers B B' derive motion front suitable gearing X. which is so constructed as to allow itself to become automatically disengaged upon the reversal of the machine. The principal part of the process, however, is that involved in the breaking-machine, which can not be substi tuted by hand or other process, while the cleaning might be done in the ordinary way ; in fact, when the flax is well rettcd the breaking is done so completely that a little handling cleans the fiber entirely from all show. The two machines may be worked separately. It is obvious that. the fiber being uninjured, there is a much larger output., and the heckle gives far more yield in line. About the importance of scotching there can be no question. Vast countries produce grasses and fibers which are of the highest value. The difficulty always has been to separate the fiber from the gummy exterior and from the inside pith or wood.