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Show WHERE LINEN IS MADE. Belfait the Centsr of the Trade- of the World. Thoro Is. nothing, prottler than a field of Irish Jlrtx" In full bloom. Tho stems aro about 30 Inches high, says a writer In Truth. They aro very slender nnd of a palo groon. On each atom Is a flower In nn exquisite ex-quisite tono of blue; somothlng between be-tween a cornflower and forget-me-not, Tho llttlo flower Is not of n very robust constitution. Tho petals soon fall, and then n Beod pod forms which, when given tlmo to do so, produces quantities of what wo call linseed ("lhln" Is tho Celtic namo for flax). Ilut whon thu flnx Is grown for tho manufacture of linen It Is pulled up boforo tho seod haa had tlmo to ma-turn. ma-turn. After having been exposed tu tho nlr for n few days tho flaw is laid In water, nnd during tho fortnight that this process lasts tho odlotm am? 1 with which it fills tho nlr Is of n ro-markably ro-markably powerful character. As tho local guides say: "Shuro It's Just tho flax fcrmlntln'. It's a powerful power-ful smell entirely, but thcro's no danger dan-ger In It, glory bo to God." Tho soaking makes It easy to sopn-rato sopn-rato the Btraw from tho flbro by bruising bruis-ing It between rollers and then suspending sus-pending It through an opening In tho top of a machine In which h horizontal horizon-tal shaft with wooden blades revolves nt tho rato of 250 times n minute. Parted forever aro tho fibre, llax and tho straw, now tow. Next .us tho spinning Into yarn, done In immense mills, and aftor that tho yarn is woven into tho fabric Itself. Finally comes tho bleaching, whon tho linen Is laid out on the green flold to bo whitened oy rain and sun and wind, Theso long strips of snow whiteness on tho green turf surpriso tho stranger. stran-ger. Ho thinks It some sort of top dressing, spiend upon the land to fertilize fer-tilize It, Heirast Is the center of tho linen trade. |