Having reached a certain retting degree on the ground, flax straws are removed with winding balers. The bales, which must maintain a temperature of 61° F (16° C), are stored flat and above ground in sheds protected from rain. Some 660 lbs (300 kg) per bale on average, they will not stay long in the warehouse and will soon join the scutching line. There, the flax bales begin their slow transformation into golden ribbons thin as hair.