Pbilontatic Society. 89 



the farmers endeavour to level the ground, that it may be 

 watered in a more uniform manner. For this operation they 

 employ a box open before, and having a concave bottom ; it 

 is drawn by a mule : the driver holds it behind by means of 

 a handle, and, making it enter the ground when the latter is 

 too high, tranfports what it has pared off to fome other place 

 where the Toil is too low. 



The ufual rotation for dry land is as follows : — The land is 

 fuffcred to reft for a year, after which it is ploughed and 

 dunged : it is then fown with the foda plant, then with 

 wheat, and, in the laft place, with barley. 



The foda is extracted from a great number of maritime 

 plants: but the two exclufively cultivated at Alicant for that 

 purpofe are the Parilla (Sal/ola fativa, Linn.), and the 

 So/fa (Sal/ola foda, Linn.). The method of cultivating 

 them is the fame; but the former requires a better foil, and 

 produces much better foda. 



After the land has been ploughed feveral times, and 

 dunged, it is fown with barilla in the month of December: 

 it is fcarcely covered with earth, and the days when the 

 weather feems moil difpofed for rain are chofen for that 

 operation. About the end of winter the field is weeded as 

 often as is neceflary to deitroy the weeds. The barilla is 

 ready to be collected in September : that intended for feed is 

 left in the ground for a month longer. The plant is eafily 

 torn up, becaufe it has very fmall roots : when pulled it is 

 depofited in heaps, and left for a month to dry. About the 

 middle of October it is burnt. Spherical holes capable of 

 containing about thirty hundred weight of foda are made in 

 the earth, above each cavity are placed two bars of iron 

 which fupport the plants to be burnt, and which are mixed 

 with reeds or draw. Care is taken to make choice of a day 

 when the wind is not too ftrong, otherwife the foda would 

 burn too rapidly, and be reduced with more difficulty to a folic! 

 mafs : it is neceflary alfo that the air mould not be entirely 

 calm ; for in that cafe the fmoke, by not being carried off, 

 dirties the foda. The barilla in burning experiences a kind 

 of fuiion, and is reduced to' a red mafs, which refembles a 

 fufed metal, and which is flirred once or twice, in order that 

 the fufion mould be more complete. When the pits are full, 

 which generally requires a whole night, the matter is covered 

 with earth, and it is fuffered to cool for ten or twelve days : 

 the cake formed is then uncovered, and it is broken into 

 large fragments with hammers ; after which it is carried to 

 warehoufes. While the barilla is burning, the fweepings 

 left the preceding year are thrown into the pits in order that 



they 



