The fibre should be put through the squeezing-ma chines in bunches of several leaves, so that the pressure may be more elastic. When thoroughly clean, the fibre should be dried, by prefer ence in the open air. The best mode of drying is to have lines, about 2 ft. apart and 2i ft. above the level of the ground ; the fibre is laid on these lines in the sun, air circulates beneath, and the drying is soon effected.
When half-dry, the fibre is turned over, so as to expose all parts equally.
The thoroughly dry fibre may be stored until a conve nient time arrives for finish-, ing it, or it may be finished at once. The latter plan is far preferable, as delays frequently involve stained or inferior coloured fibre. Great care must also be taken to keep the fibres parallel to each other, as when they lose their parallel position, and become entangled, every succeeding operation causes a loss of long fibre, and an increase in the percentage of waste fibre ; in addition to this, the blades of the scraping-machines, and the brushes of the brushing-machines, need more frequent repairs and renewals.
The finishing process is very simple. The scraping-machine (Fig. 627) is again brought into operation, the wood scrapers being removed, and their places on the periphery of the drum being filled by brushes of kittool or other brush material. The fibre is fed into, reversed, and removed from, the machine in exactly the same manner as already described in the scraping of the leaves. The effect of brushing is to free the fibre from all extraneous matters, and to brighten it. When used as a brushing-machine, a small fan is fixed inside, at the bottom of the framework ; this eollects the dust, &e., and drives it out through the opening e. At f, is a small door or shutter opening outwards ; on the inside of this, is fixed a comb, which, when the shutter is closed, comes into contact with the brushes, and clears away the tow or short fibre which may adhere to them. The shutter is opened from time to time, and the comb is freed from the accumulated tow.
In some districts, where the leaves are of very rank growth, and the fibres are long and coarse, it Is advisable to pass the dry fibre through a breaking or softening-machine, before brushing. Several of these machines are illustrated and described under Linum usitatissimum (Flax). After being brushed, the fibre is made up into hanks, and packed into bales by means of a hydraulic press. The most practical way is to have a wooden box fixed in the press ; one side and one end of the box are constructed to lot down. It is filled with banks of fibre, and when these are pressed into a bale, and secured, the side of the box is Iet down, the bale is rolled out, and the box is refilled with hanks of fibre for the following bale.
The machines described above are made by Thos. Barraclough, of Manchester, who was good enough to furnish the drawings which illustrate them. They can be driven by steam, water, or cattle power ; a gear suitable for 2 horses, or 2-4 bullocks, suffices to arive a small set of machines, viz, one crushing-machine, one squeezing-machine, and two scraping-machines, being that portion of the set which is used during the time the leaves are being cut. The same gear is afterwards used for driving the two scraping - machines, trans formed into brushing - ma chines, and the softening machine (where required).
The squeezing - machine is also made to be worked by hand. The hydraulic pumps for the press can be easily worked by hand, in the ab sence of steam or water power.
Fig. 629 shows a section of the leaf of the plant, mag nified 100 times : a, fibre vascular bundles, coloured yellow by teat H, described nt the commencement of this article ; b, centre of the bundle, containing large ducts, and tissue in course of formation ; c, parenchyma. Fig. 630 shows the fibres, longitudinally and in section, under test F : a, section of a bundle of fibres, the shaded portions of which are coloured light yellow, the outer ring dark-yellow ; b, a fibre, coloured yellow ; e, ends of fibres, also coloured yellow ; mag. 300. The fila ments are large, white, glossy, very light, stiff, and tenacious ; they separate easily on rubbing. The iso lated fibres are short and thin-walled, and have a large central cavity. They swell towards the middle, and terminate in blunt points, as shown ; sometimes they are lobed or bifurcated. The thickness of the walla varies greatly in different parts of the same fibre. The exterior surface is often un even towards the point. The lengths are max., in. ; min., in. ; mean, in. ; the diameters are max., in.; min., in. ; mean, 0.00098 in. The length of the fibre varies from 3 to 7 ft. ; the colour of the commercial article is white to straw-colour. Its main faults are the stiffness, shortness, and thinness of wall of the individual fibres, and a liability to rot ; but these are greatly reduced by the crushing of the fibres in the above-described machines, so as to liberate the interior viscid juice. The breaking strain of a rope of this fibre has been stated at 270-362 lb., as against Russian hemp at 160 lb. Its uses are various. In its native countries, it is applied to the manufacture of ropes, twine, fishing-nets, hammocks, &e. It is exported for admixture with Manilla hemp (Musa textilis), for all kinds of cordage. Bleached and dyed, it is made into matting and imitation horsehair cloth, with good effect. The short fibre separated by the processes described above, may also be carded and spun ; while the waste is an excellent material for strong wrapping and envelope paper. The fibre, exposed for 2 hours to steam at 2 atmos., boiled in water for 3 hours, and again steamed for 4 hours, lost 5.55 per cent. of its weight, as compared with Manilla hemp, 6'07 ; phormium, ; hemp, Some slips of sized paper, weighing 39 gr., made from this fibre, bore an average weight of 89 lb., as against Bank of England note pulp, 47 lb. It is the most highly approved of all paper fibres, making a strong, tough, smooth paper, which feels like oiled paper, and, even while unsized, may be written on, without the ink runnitIg. Its price is governed by that of Manila hemp, being generally 71.-101. a ton less than the latter. With proper care in the prepara tion, this difference should be much reduced. The fibre prepared in India is harsh and brittle, though of good colour ; it is not met with in commerce.