I used to live near Flax Pond in Bourne, MA. It was a shallow pond with clean snady bottom
where flax was retted in the old days. I have read that one of the worst miseries of Washingtons'
tropps at Valley Forge was a terrible skin irritation from linen shirts. I have never been able to
find out in what way the preparation of the linen fibers had been faulty. I search Interet again just
now, and found a site about ways in which women played important roles in the Revolution,
including making linen garments. But no mention of faulty ones.
http://www.gendergap.com/military/USmil2.htm