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258 ESSAYS anp OBSERVATIONS 
THE afhes of peats differ alfo confide~ 
rably in colour, quantity, and weight ; 
as to which nothing certain can be deter- 
mined, Sometimes the white, fometimes 
the grey, and at other times the red, are 
heavieft. In Friefland, the peat that leaves 
the red afhes, Degner fays, is heavieft 5 
about Nimiguen, thofe that are red are 
found lighter than the Dutch peat which 
leaves a grey afh. 
THE brewer, diftiller, and other trades, 
prefer the peat that leaves a red afh, which, 
tho’ it feldom has a firm cinder, yet burns 
violently. The baker makes choice of 
the light turf ; and, in North-Holland, 
where the inhabitants are extremely clean- 
ly, they ufe the peat that has red athes, 
upon account of their being heavier than 
the white, and therefore not fo apt to fly 
about and fpoil their furniture. 
BEsIDEs the ufes now commonly made’ | 
of peats, there are two others in which, I 
think, they may be employed with great — 
advantage, ‘The firft is, the fmelting iron 
ore: The only fewel at prefent ufed in that 
operation is charcoal of oak, and other 
hard 
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