Flax

(flaks). The best known and probably the most valuable of the bast-fibers, derived from the flax-plant, Linum usitati imum. The linen fiber, when cleansed, has a blonde or even white color, a white, silky luster, and great strength. It is le pliant and elastic than cotton, but is a better conductor of heat. Chemically, it is, like cotton, a pure cellulose. F., New Zealand, a fiber obtained from the leaves of Phormium tenax, which acquires a length of one to two meters. The fiber, as prepared by hand-scraping, is soft, white, and of silky luster. Its chief value is for rope-making and for coarse textiles. The rope made from this fiber is, however, weakened when wet by seawater, and must therefore be kept well-oiled. F. -dre er's Phthisis, a form of pneumonokoniosis. F.-seed. See Linum.