FLAX. 713 FLAXMAN. . . . the Department of Agriculture cannot state authoritatively from experience that there is one that may be recommended as successful." The initial processes of linen manufacture thus far described arc usually performed by the fann- er, although there is a tendency within recent years for the preliminary work of retting, bleach- ing, breaking, and scutching to be performed by companies, who buy the straw direct, from the fields and prepare it for the linen factory. The next step that the Max undergoes is that of heck- ling, the object of which is to separate the longer and better portion of the fibre, called 'line,' from the shorter and raveled portion, called 'tow.' The hand heckle is a many-toothed steel comb, and the fineness of the flax increases with the number of times it is heckled, each time with a finer and finer instrument. Heckling is now usually performed by machinery. (See Heck- les.) The fibre is then in readiness for spin- ning and for manufacture into linen, for which operations see the articles on Spinning and Linen: The world's production of flaxseed in 1998 was estimated at 75,914,000 bushels. Of this amount, America produced 26,833,500, Europe 31,241,500, India 17,839.000 bushels. The production of fibre was 1,762,560,000 pounds, all credited to Europe. Russia leads all countries in the pro- duction of both seed and fibre. Consult: Dodge, Dictionary of the Fibre Plants of the World (Washington, 1897) ; also "Fibre Investigations," in United States Department of Agriculture Re- port No. 9 (Washington, 1897). See Fibre. FLAX, New Zealand. A valuable fibre, quite different from common flax, obtained from the leaf of a lily-like plant, Phormium tenax, some- times called flax-lily, and flax-bush. It is a perennial belonging to the order Liliaeea?, a native of New Zealand and Norfolk Island. Its leaves are from two to six feet long, and two to three inches broad ; the flowers brownish yellow ; the fruit a three-cornered capsule with numerous compressed jet-black seeds. The fibre of the leaves, which is both very fine and very strong, was used by the New Zealanders for making dresses, ropes, twine, mats, cloth, etc., before the discovery of New Zealand by Europeans. New Zealand flax thrives best on rich lowlands near rivers, and in such places is cultivated in its native country for making twine and ropes. It is also grown to some extent in California, and its cultivation has been attempted in parts of Europe; but the winters, except in the south, are too cold for it. To obtain the fibre the leaves are cut when they have attained their full size, and are usually macerated in water for a few days. But the New Zealanders procure the fibre in its greatest perfection — very long and slender, and shining like silk — by a more laborious pro- cess, without maceration. They remove the epi- dermis from the newly cut leaf, separating the fibres with their thumb-nails, and then more per- fectly by combs. Large manufactories are now constructed, wherein the fibre is stripped by ma- chinery. The best lands yield ten tons per acre of sun-dried leaves, which produce 1200 pounds of fibre, and 80 pounds of tow. See Fibre. FLAX, False. See Gold of Pleasure. FLAXTVIAN. John (1755-1826). The lead- ing sculptor of the English school. He was born at York, July 6, 1755. He was the son of John Flaxman, ■< modeler and maker of plaster casts. His health was delicate, and he had little early education, The most powerful and perhaps the earliest, impulse which he received toward art appears to have been derived from the painter Romney, who fell in with him early in his career. His familiarity with the ancient poets begin at this time. Flaxman entered the school of the Royal Academy in 1770, the second year "iter its foundation. lie exhibited in I In- same year, and won a silver medal. In the competition for the gold medal in 1772 he was not successful. Flaxman's career as a sculptor begins with his engagement in the pottery of Josiah Wedgwood in 1775. Kngland was at this time thoroughly impregnated with the love of antiquity, preva- lent in the latter part, of the eighteenth century. Wedgwood was one of the leaders in the move ment toward the realization of antique condi- tions, and Flaxman was inspired with the same devotion. Flaxman's work for Wedgwood was usually confined to small reliefs. As processes of manu- facture improved, however, more ambitious per- formances were undertaken, for example, large bas-reliefs for chimney-pieces in 1776, a large tablet of "Apollo and the Muses" in 1777, etc. During this early part of his life Flaxman was intimately associated with William Blake. The influence of Flaxman's sense of outline and pro- portion often appears in the works of Blake; and the flavor of Blake's mysticism may be de- tected in the works of Flaxman. In 1782 Flaxman established an independent studio in Wardour Street, London, and married Anna Denman. In 1787 he went to Rome, which was then under the influence of the school of archaeologists and sculptors of which Winckel- mann was the head, and Canova and Thorwaldsen the leading practical workers. The prevailing interest was classical, the art of the Renais- sance being entirely neglected. Flaxman's first works in Rome were the superb series of outline illustrations to Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. The plates to jEschylus and Dante appeared later. These drawings, made under the need of bread- winning, have become the best known, and are certainly the most interesting and characteristic of Flaxman's productions. His chief works of sculpture in Rome were a statue of "Cephalus" and "Aurora," for Thomas Hope, and a restora- tion of the Belvedere "Torso of Hercules," which he conceived to be part of a group of two figures, "Hercules and Omphale." This piece was after- wards destroyed. While in Rome he made a large collection of plaster casts for the painterRomney. Flaxman returned to England in 1794. In 1797 he was elected associate, in 1800 a full member, and in 1810 professor of sculpture, at the Royal Academy. His lectures, ten in number, were published in 1829. Flaxman died December 7, 1826, and is buried in the Church of Saint Giles-in-the-Fields, Lon- don. Casts of his chief works have been col- lected in a special museum in University College, London. The list of Flaxman's works is very large. The most important are the monument to Lord Mansfield, in Westminster Abbey (1796) ; monument to Sir William Jones, in the Church of Saint Mary's, Oxford (1797) ; several monu- mental works for the East India Company; and the monument to Captain Montague, in West- minster Abbey ( 1802 ) . He projected but did not
