Flax (see Fibrous Substances—Linum usitatissimum), after undergoing the treatment necessary to prepare it for the market (pp. 964-978), and passing into the hands of the manufacturer, is sent into the store of the spinning-mill, arranged in separate piles or lots, according to quality or growth, and ticketed with the number allotted to the grower from whom it has been purchased. The particulars of these lots are carefully taken down, and entered in the store-book for future reference. This is necessary in order to enable the selection for working to be made to the best advantage, because successive purchases made from one grower are found to be the most uniform in length, strength, and colour, having been grown upon the same soil, and from the of seed, and ratted in the same water. Similarity in these respects enables the first process, " roughing," to be performed more satisfactorily than if the fibre varied in its chief qualities. The first process being performed well does much towards assuring satisfactory results in the end.
Roughing.—" Roughing" is conducted as follows :—Scutchers make up the flax for market in bundles of 14 lb., constituting a "stone " of flex. Each atone contains 5-8 " atricka " or handfuls of finished flax, and each atrick is composed of two " fingers," two of the small lots that have been treated at one operation in the scutching-procese. The "rougher," having been supplied with his parcel of flax, about 2 cwt., takes one of the stones, and separates it into stricka and again into fingers. Holding one of the latter in his loft hand, with the butt or root-end from him, he with his right hand separates as much flax from the bulk as he can conveniently hold between his fore finger and thumb, being careful to select those fibres that have their ends level with each other. With a quick jerk of his right hand, he draws the selected fibres from the bulk, and swinging his arm around, brings them down upon the table in a semicircular form, with the convex aide towards him. This operation is repeated, the rougher taking care to have all the pieces as nearly as possible of the same size, which is essential to the proper performance of the roughing, and being careful also to lay the pieces so as to form a straight row on his table. This is called " piecing out," and is continued until the rougher has made a pile of pieced-out flax sufficient to occupy him for an honr or more in " rough dressing." This he commences by grasping a " piece " near the " top-end " ; leaving nearly the whole length before his hand, he jerks it behind him, and by drawing it suddenly back, thoroughly loosens it, and fringe it down well spread upon the pins of the hackle, which is firmly bolted to the bench on which he is at work. Having gripped the piece near the top, as he proceeds to pull it through the hackle, all the short fibre is retained in the pins by the root-end, which is the object sought. He next takes the root-end of the piece
between the finger and thumb of the left hand, and placing it over the corner pins of the hackle, draws it through with his right hand, leaving the weaker fibres with those previously in the hackle. Then, moving his hand down the piece a little towards the middle, he places it upon the portion in the hackle, in such a position that, when the latter is drawn through the pins, the ends of all the portions shall fall exactly level. Should the extremities be slightly irregular, he levels them by drawing out the projecting ends, and placing them in order. The operation is completed by the rougher next taking the top-end of the flax, and, by a quick turn, wrapping it around his right hand, and keeping the end that he is roughing well spread out between his finger and thumb, he throws the piece a second time over the hackle, draws it steadily through, and clears the remainder of the abort fibres out of it. Again taking the root-end in his left hand, he laps it round the " touch-pin," a sharp, square, or triangular steel pin, fixed upright in a block of hard wood, fastened to his bench on the left of his hackle, and breaks off all the loose, short, and straggling fibres that remain, thereby securing a perfectly square root-end. The top-end is then, with one or two exceptions, treated in a similar manner, after which the piece is placed upon the heap of roughed flax, the rougher taking care, in withdrawing his hand, to leave in each a partial twist, so as to keep them distinct, for facilitating the succeeding operation.
Roughing is very expeditiously performed. In roughed flax, there are about 5-9 "pieces" in the lb., and in a day's work of 10i hours, a good rougher will complete about 300 lb., Or 10-14 cwt. a week. The flax as thus prepared is termed " longs " ; the portions broken off around the touch pin, after being cleared from the tow, are weighed in with the longs, and called " shorts," being subsequently kept distinct. Roughers earn 15-20s. a week, according to their capability, being paid at the rate of about 18. 9d. a cwt. High-class qualities of flax, having been carefully prepared for the market, generally need less dressing than other descriptions, and low qualities do not repay much expenditure upon them. The former include Belgian, Dutch, English, and French, whilst the latter are mostly composed of Russian, German, Italian, and some Irish sorts. The rate of pay for dressing these different sorts varies proportionately to the labour spent upon them. Irish flax requires most dressing, being as a rule carelessly prepared for the market.