Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 7, ETM-GOA

FLA
Flax, of cleaning it afterwards, appears to be the fame im-
“'Y——'propriety as though we were to referve part of the
drefiing given to leather till after it is made into a
glove.
“ Should the plunging of the flax into the boiling
water not fuffice to make the boon brittle enough,
as I am inclined to think it would not, then the com¬
mon watering might be added ; but in that cafe pro¬
bably half the time ufually given to this watering would
fuffice, and the flax might then be laid in clear rivu¬
lets, without any apprehenfion of its infetting the wa¬
ter and poifoning the fifh, or of being difcoloured it-
felf; for the boiling water into which it had been pre-
vioufly put, would have extradted all the poifonous
vegetative fap, which I prefume is what chiefly difco-
lours the flax or kills the fifti.
“ On the fuppofition, that the ufe of boiling water
in the preparation of flax may be found to be advan¬
tageous and profitable, I can recolledl at prefent but
one ohjedtion againft its being generally adopted.
Every flax grower, it may be faid, could riot be ex-
pefted to have conveniences for boiling water fuffi-
eient for the purpofe; the confumption of water
would be great; and fame additional expence would
be incurred. In anfwer to this, I ihall obferve, that
I prefume any additional expence would be more than
reimburfed by the better marketable price of the flax;
for other wife any new improvement, if it will not quit
coft, muft be dropt, were it even the fearching after
gold. In a large cauldron a great deal of flax might
be dipt in the fame water, and the confumption per¬
haps would not be more than a quart to each fheaf.
Even a large houfehold pot would be capable of con¬
taining one Iheaf after another ; and 1 believe the
whole objedtion would be obviated, were the pradtice
to prevail with us, as in Flanders and Holland, that
the flax-grower and the flax-drefler fhould be two di-
ftindf profeffions.
“ I fliall conclude with recommending to thofe who
are inclined to make experiments, not to be difeou-
raged by the failure of one or two trials.—Perhaps the
flax, inftead of being juit plunged into the fealding
water, ought to be kept in it five minutes, perhaps a
quarter of an hour, perhaps a whole hour. Should five
minutes, or a quarter of an hour, or an hour, not be
fufficient to make the boon and harle eafily feparate,
it might perhaps be found expedient to boil the flax
for more than an hour; and fuch boiling when in this
ftate might in return fave feveral hours boiling in the
article of bleaching. It is not, I think, at all probable
that the boiling of the flax with the boon in it would
prejudice the harle; for in the courfe of its future ex-
ifience, it is made to be expofed 20 or 40 times to
this boiling trial; and if not detrimental in the one
cafe, it is to be prefumed it would not be detrimental
in the other. Perhaps, after the boiling, it would be
proper to pile up the flax in one heap for a whole day,
or for half a day, to occafion fome fermentatioiv; or
perhaps, immediately after the boiling, it might be
proper to wafli it with cold water. The great object,
when the flax is pulled, is to get the harle from the
boon with as little lofs and damage as poffible; and if
this is accomplifhed in a more complete manner than
ufual, confideiable labour and expence will be faved in
FLA
the future manufacturing of the flax. On this ac- Has
count I think much more would be gained than loll, c}[;er’
were the two or three laft inches of the roots of the ec 'c‘ ‘
Hems to be chopped off, or dipt off, previous to the
flax being either watered or boiled. When the flax is
watered, care fhould be taken not to fpread it out to
dry, when there is a hazard of its being expofed in its
wet ftate to froft.”
Flax made to refemlk Cotton. In the Swedifh Tranf-
adions for the year 1747, a method is given of pre¬
paring flax in fuch a manner as to referable cotton in
whitenefs and foftnefs, as well as in coherence. For
this purpofe, a little fea-water is to be put into an
iron pot or an untinned copper-kettle, and a mixture
of equal parts of birch-afhes and quicklime ftrewed
upon it: A fmall bundle of flax is to be opened and
fpread upon the furface, and covered with more of the
mixture, and the ftratiftcation continued till the veffel
is fufficiently filled. The whole is then to be boiled
v/ith fea-water for ten hours, frefh quantities of water
being occafionaUy fupplied in proportion to the evapo¬
ration, that the matter may never become dry. The
boded flax is to be immediately wafhed in the fea
by a little at a time, in a bafket, with a fmooth flick
at firft while hot; and when grown cold enough to
be borne by the hands, it muft. be well rubbed,
wafhed with foap, laid to bleach, and turned and
watered every day. Repetitions of the wafhing with
foap expedite the bleaching; after which the flax is
to be beat, and again well wafhed;. when dry, it
is to be worked and carded in the fame manner as com¬
mon cotton, and prefled betwixt two boards for 48
hours. It is now fully prepared and fit for ufe. It
lofes in this procefs near one-half its weight, which is
abundantly compenfated by the improvement made in
its quality.
The filamentous parts of different vegetables have
been employed in different countries for the fame me¬
chanic ufes as hemp and flax among us. See Fila¬
ment.
Earth-FiAX. See Amianthus.
New-Zealand Flax-Plant. See Phormium.
Toad-FiAX. SeeLiNARiA.
FLEA, in zoology. See Pulex.
Fi.EA-Bane^ in botany. See Conyz A.
Flea-Bitten, that colour of a horfe which is white
or grey, fpotted all over with dark reddifh'fpots.
FLEAM, in furgery and farriery, an inftrument
for letting blood of a man or horfe. A cafe of fleams,,
as it is called by farriers, comprehends fix forts of in-
ftruments ; two hooked ones, called drawers, and ufed
for cleaning wounds ; a pen-knife ; a fharp-pointed
lancet for making incifions; and two fleams, one fharp
and the other broad-pointed. Thefe laft are fomewhat
like the point of a lancet, fixed in a flat handle, and no
longer than is juft neceffary to open the vein.
FLECHIER (Efprit), bifiiop of Nifmes, one of the
moft celebrated preachers of his age, and the puhliflier
of many panegyrics and funeral orations, was born at
Perne in Avignon in 1632. He was nominated to
the biftiopric of Lavaur in 1685, and tranflated to
Nifmes in 1687. At this latter place he founded an
academy, and took the prefidentflnp upon himfelf: his
own palace was indeed a kind of academy, where he
applied-
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