PARIXG AND BURNING. 143 



on purpose for it) and allowed to dry. It is then thoroughly 

 harrowed and made fine ; and in the downs the vegetable 

 matter is raked out so far as practicable, and thrown into 

 small heaps ; a little earth is thrown over these and they are 

 fired, the grass forming the fuel. The remainder of the 

 earth whichrhas been ploughed up is shovelled on as soon, and 

 to as great a depth, as it can be without danger of extinguish 

 ing the fire. 



In the clay districts and where there is much timber grow 

 ing, brushwood is laid in rows, and the pared soil heaped over 

 it, the sod being thrown as far as possible nearest the fuel, 

 and the fine earth thrown over all to prevent too quick a fire. 



The burnt soil is spread again over the field and ploughed 

 in. The first crop following is usually turnips. The cost of 

 the operation is reckoned, in Suffolk, (where it is called 

 denturing,) to be only about four dollars an acre, of which 

 one-third is for fuel. Supposing the expense of labour 

 to be doubled and that of fuel halved for the United 

 States, it may be expected to cost us six dollars an acre. 

 The effect, probably, is never lost to the land; but in 

 those parts of England where it is most practised, I be 

 lieve it is usual to repeat the operation once in seven years, 

 or at the beginning of every rotation. By feeding turnips 

 upon the ground the autumn following the burning, it is suf 

 ficiently stocked with manure to require no further applica 

 tion during the course. Caird mentions crossing a field in 

 which this had been repeated, burning every seven years, and 

 no other application of manure than what arose from the con 

 sumption of its own produce on the ground being made, with 

 out any diminution of crops for fifty years. 



On the downs, however, paring and burning is not usually 

 resorted to, except at the first breaking up of the original soil, 

 fertility being afterwards sustained by bones and guano, or 



