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Species:
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L.
In addition to the plant itself, flax may refer to the unspun fibres of the flax plant.
Uses
Flax is grown both for seed and for its fibers. It is also grown as an ornamental plant in gardens, as flax is one of the few plant species that is capable of producing truly blue
flowers (most "blue" flowers are really shades of purple), although not all flax varieties produce blue flowers.
Flax seed
The seeds produce a vegetable oil known as linseed oil or flaxseed oil. It is one of the oldest commercial oils and solvent-processed flax seed oil has been used for centuries as a
drying oil in painting and varnishing. Flax seeds come in two basic varieties; Although brown flax can be consumed and has been for thousands of years, it is better known as an
ingredient in paints, fibre and cattle feed.
A North Dakota State University research project led to the creation of a new variety of the yellow flax seed called "Omega".
One tablespoon of ground flax seeds and three tablespoons of water may serve as a replacement for one egg in baking by binding the other ingredients together, and ground flax seeds
can also be mixed in with oatmeal, yogurt, water (similar to Metamucil), or any other food item where a nutty flavour is appropriate. Flax seed owes its nutritional benefits to
lignans and omega-3 essential fatty acids.
Flax seed sprouts are edible, with a slightly spicy flavour.
Flax fibre
Flax fibres are amongst the oldest fibre crops in the world. Currently most flax produced in the USA and Canada are seed flax types for the production of linseed oil or flaxseeds
for human nutrition.
Flax fibre is extracted from the bast or skin of the stem of flax plant. Flax fibre is also a raw material for the high-quality paper industry for the use of printed banknotes and
rolling paper for cigarettes.
The soils most suitable for flax, besides the alluvial kind, are deep friable loams, and containing a large proportion of organic matter.
Flax is harvested for fibre production when still green, before seed maturation as the fibre starts to degrade later;
Flax grown for seed is allowed to mature until the seed capsules are yellow and just starting to split;
Threshing flax
The process is divided into two parts: the first part is intended for the farmer, or flax-grower, to bring the flax into a fit state for general or common purposes.
The second part of the process is intended for the manufacturer to bring the flax into a state for the very finest purposes, such as lace, cambric, damask, and very fine linen.
The threshing process would be conducted as follows:
Take the flax in small bundles, as it comes from the field or stack, and holding it in the left hand, put the seed end between the threshing machine and the bed or block against
which the machine is to strike; then take the handle of the machine in the right hand, and move the machine backward and forward, to strike on the flax, until the seed is all threshed
out. Take the flax in small handfuls in the left hand, spread it flat between the third and little finger, with the seed end downwards, and the root-end above, as near the hand as
possible. Remove the flax a little higher in the hand, so as to let the soft part of the flax rest upon the little finger, and continue to beat it till all is soft, and the wood is
separated from the fibre, keeping the left hand close to the block and the flax as flat upon the block as possible. The other end of the flax is then to be turned, and the end which
has been beaten is to be wrapped round the little finger, the root end flat, and beaten in the machine till the wood is separated, exactly in the same way as the other end was beaten.
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